Rahul Gandhi sticks to poll plank in Delhi speech

Rahul Gandhi on Sunday skipped his much-criticised remarks on Pakistan indoctrinating Muzaffarnagar riot victims and chose to highlight the achievements of Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit as he sought a fourth consecutive term for the Congress in the capital.

At a rally in the Mongolpuri area here, the 42-year-old leader spoke at length of the Delhi Metro, the swanky airport and a number of flyovers which were built during Dikshit’s 15-year tenure in the capital.

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had criticised Gandhi’s remark that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was in touch with the victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots making attempts to lure them into terrorism. The remarks were dubbed “immature” by a number of political parties and former intelligence officials.

Rahul also refrained from making any emotional pitch by recounting tales of his family. He had launched virulent attacks on the RSS and the BJP at recent rallies in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and accused the opposition of spreading hatred. He had also recounted anecdotes from his early years.

Interestingly, the speeches of Gandhi in Delhi and Modi in Patna began almost at the same time with news television channels virtually blacking out the Congress leader. Gandhi wound up his address within 15 minutes.

“Modi is making more newspoints, hence we are showing his speech,” a news television editor said on Twitter.

Gandhi appreciated the efforts made by Dikshit for changing the face of the capital by introducing the Metro Rail, building an airport and developing infrastructure. Delhi goes to polls on December 4.

“Sheila Dikshit has changed Delhi. A shining metro rail today plies in Delhi. People from other states are inviting DMRC to start metro rail there. Indonesia has also invited Delhi Metro for a similar project in its capital, Jakarta,” he said.