Gonda: Union minister Beni Prasad Verma today faced the ire of voters of his constituency in the presence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Inter-college grounds here this afternoon.

Apparently angry over his long absence from the Gonda constituency, the people raised slogans against him as soon as he got up to address an election meeting.

Amid the uproar, the Steel minister tried to speak but was forced to return to his seat after which Sonia Gandhi started her address.

This is the second time Verma had to face opposition in his parliamentary constituecy before the party leadership in the recent past.

In November last, the crowd, in the presence of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, had refused to let him speak at a public meeting at Utraula in Balrampur district.

Despite appeals from UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Rahul, they kept hooting Verma until he left the meeting.

Utraula falls in Verma's Lok Sabha constituency Gonda.

PTI