After 2013 poor show, good turnout at Rahul's Delhi rally

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IANS New Delhi
Last Updated : Apr 06 2014 | 9:30 PM IST

A fairly strong crowd Sunday attended a rally of Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, at the same venue where people were seen leaving during an election meeting addressed by the Congress vice president in November 2013.

Congress workers were seen at the Virat Cinema Ground in Dakshinpuri, asking people to join in.

As Gandhi got up on to the dais, people stood up in their chairs to get a glimpse of the leader.

Congress activist Surinder said party leader Ram Singh Netaji, who lost from the Badarpur constituency in last year's assembly polls, had taken the initiative to ensure that the gathering was strong.

"Most of the people are from Badarpur and Dakshini and outer Delhi," he said.

But a youth, Praveen, said he had come because of Ramesh Kumar, the sitting Congress MP from South Delhi.

"Rameshji is a nice person, and is always involved in people to people contact. I have come only because of him," he said.

A Delhi Mahila Congress Committee activist, who did not wish to be named, said the crowd was enthusiastic about the Congress but the media was giving unnecessary hype to Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

She said Modi's prospects were better in this election because he was getting all the attention. "The one who is in advantage, is the one who is in the limelight," she said.

But Rahul Gandhi surely caught the public's attention at least for the day.

At the end of his speech, there was a huge traffic jam in the adjacent BRT Road.

People struggled to see Gandhi who waved at them from his car.

A young boy whistled at him and Gandhi was seen smiling back. Youths of the locality were seen climbing trees to get a glimpse.

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First Published: Apr 06 2014 | 9:28 PM IST

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