Modi a phenomenon, Rahul cannot even attract thousands: BJP

BJP's prime ministerial candidate announced he will hold many rallies ahead of the December 4 Assembly polls

Debunking Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's claim that Narendra Modi will have no impact in Delhi polls, BJP's Chief Ministerial nominee Harsh Vardhan on Monday said the Gujarat leader is a "phenomenon" attracting "massive crowds" everywhere unlike Rahul Gandhi.

Vardhan also said BJP's prime ministerial candidate will hold a number of rallies here ahead of the December 4 Assembly polls to help the party oust the 15 year-long "misrule" of the Congress government.

Drawing comparision between Modi's rally here with that of Rahul Gandhi, he said the "great son of India" could attract only a "couple of thousand" people at his public meeting against the massive crowd running into lakhs of people at Modi's rally.

"Narendra Modi will hold a few more rallies in the city. He is a phenomenon. He is the future prime minister of the country. All the congressmen along with other parties are thoroughly frustrated. They have abused him for so many years without any result," he told PTI.

Vardhan said the crowd at Rahul's rally held at Congress traditional bastion in Mangolpuri reflected the dwindling support base for Congress in the city.

Dikshit had last week said that Modi will not have any impact in Delhi Assembly elections.

"A few days back, a rally by our great son of India could attract only a couple of thousand people even if it was organised in a place like Mangolpuri which has been represented by Raj Kumar Chouhan for last four terms. Chouhan is one of so called powerful ministers who is the closest to chief minister," said Vardhan.

The Gujarat Chief Minister had addressed a massive rally here on 29 September and Vardhan said it had a significant impact on party cadres as well as people in the city.

Exhuding confidence of defeating the Congress in the polls, the 59-year-old ENT surgeon said the kind of support Modi has been receiving across the country was reflective of his wave and increasing support base.

"Sheila Dikshit should remember that Modi probably is the leader who is attracting the maximum crowd that any leader could have in terms of attracting people since independence. I have seen rallies by Jai Prakash Narayan and Indira Gandhi also.

"Can you imagine Modi addressing a rally of eight lakh, 10 lakh and 12 lakh people and that too in far South where we don't have even a single seat being represented in the assemblies," Vardhan said.

On Dikshit's attack of Modi, the Delhi BJP leader said the crowd at Rahul's rally was an answer to the Chief Minister's criticism of her Gujarat counterpart.

"It was a couple of thousand people there. I think that itself is an answer to Dikshit's whatever allegations. That's the sign of their frustration. Modi has become an institution now," said Vardhan.