Unfazed by the Mayawati government’s moves to scuttle her visit to Rae Bareli, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today landed in her Lok Sabha constituency, calling it her “karmabhoomi” and declaring she was “ready to go to jail” for the sake of development.

“Rae Bareli and Amethi have been the karmabhoomi of Feroze Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. It is also Rahul and my karmabhoomi. Rae Bareli and Amethi are like my home. Can anyone prevent me from coming home? No one can,” she told reporters in Lalganj.

Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Mayawati, Gandhi said that like the rail coach factory in Rae Bareli, allotment of land for which was cancelled by the UP government, several other schemes were being blocked by the state. “There are over a dozen such development projects that the Central government has funded and plans to bring to the state. But in each, the state government has put some hindrance or the other,” she said.

Gandhi declined comment on the cancellation of land allotment for the rail coach factory. “The matter is now before the court, I will not make any comments.”

But she made it clear that her party would battle it out with the Mayawati government even if it meant going to jail. “We will not sit idle. Our state Congress wing will organise protests against the attitude of the government. If required, even I am willing to go to jail.”

Despite Section 144 being imposed in the district to foil her planned rally, the administration failed to stop people from collecting in large numbers to greet Gandhi. Even the route of her cavalcade was changed minutes before her plane touched down at the Fursatganj airfield. At the coach factory site, people told her they were all for the factory.