Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi could not address a campaign rally in the national capital on Wednesday due to ill health.
He was to address the rally, his second, near Inderlok Metro Station in Sadar Bazar constituency but he could not even as his message was read at the campaign programme in which he urged voters to choose Congress in the February 5 elections.
Rahul had skipped the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally in Karnataka's Belagavi on Tuesday. He was also to hold a padayatra on Monday in New Delhi Assembly constituency in support of party candidate Sandeep Dikshit who is taking on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and BJP's Parvesh Verma.
Sources said he was unwell since his return from a programme in Patna last week.
At the campaign rally, Congress leaders initially maintained that Rahul would be coming but towards the end Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav announced that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha would not be able to reach there owing to ill health.
Yadav said, "I inform you with regret that Rahul Gandhi will not be able to be amongst us today as he is unwell. He has sent a message for you which I want to read out -- 'I regret that I am not able to come for this meeting in Sadar but I know thousands of people who love me will be present at the meeting. My best wishes to all of you'."
"I feel that Anil Bhardwaj-ji (Sadar Bazar candidate) has a separate place in the politics of Delhi. In view of his hard work and that of other party leaders who are contesting, I appeal to you to ensure that the Congress wins by a huge mandate. As soon as I am well, I will try to come for the campaign in Delhi and particularly in Sadar and meet all of you," Yadav quoted from Rahul's message.
Congress had on Tuesday announced that Rahul would be holding three rallies between January 22 and 24, the other two venues being Mustafabad and Madipur.
It is not clear whether the rally would happen in Mustafabad on Thursday. The party has not shared the invite or details for the rally on Thursday though it has also not announced cancellation.