The Uttar Pradesh government advised Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday to cooperate with the security agencies, saying his unscheduled visits and programmes in UP created problems in ensuring his security.

“There are examples when Rahul Gandhi broke the security cordon” and also visited places deviating from his scheduled programme, where ensuring security arrangements was not possible in the absence of prior information, the Government said in a statement.

As recently as October16, the UP government had written a letter to the SPG director, highlighting the problems created by the lack of timely information and requested him to make available the tour programmes of Rahul Gandhi well in time, the statement said. On September 11 and 12, when Rahul visited Deoriya, Gorakhpur and Azamgarh, there was a problem in ensuring security because his programme was communicated to the state government at a short notice. Also, the Amethi MP visited places which were not on his schedule and information regarding these places was made available after he reached Gorakhpur, the statement added.

Regarding the alleged security lapse during his Kanpur visit, Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said DGP Vikram Singh had got the matter investigated and found that the reports were baseless. The detailed report had been sent to the Centre. The Union Home Secretary and the Director of Intelligence Bureau had spoken to UP DGP Vikram Singh regarding the alleged security lapse, he added.

As for reports that the pilot car abandoned Rahul’s cavalcade, the government said the pilot drove on to the Circuit House as instructed earlier. He joined the cavalcade after 10 minutes near the Chandra Shekhar Azad Agriculture University. UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi, however, dismissed Singh’s claims. “I have requested the Centre to take care of Rahul’s security cover,” she added. According to her, the pilot vehicle was withdrawn, and two vehicles that carry local police were also absent.