Rahul Gandhi holds rally in capital; hardsells Delhi's development, food security

NEW DELHI: Hard-selling the development work carried out in Delhi in the last 15 years and UPA's food security bill, Rahul Gandhi today reached out to migrant voters who constitute around one-third of the population.

Lauding Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for bringing a turnaround in the state, Gandhi, whose rally coincided with Narendra Modi's in Patna, criticised the opposition for ignoring development issues but did not make any reference to the controversy over his remarks on ISI being in touch with youths in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar.

Modi had attacked the Congress Vice-President on his remarks, saying he should either name the Muslim youths or publicly apologise for his statement.

Sticking to city issues, he said Delhi Metro's model is being adopted even by foreign countries such as Indonesia and that the UPA government has given a "shining and world-class" airport to Delhiites.

"Those who come from outside, we hold their hands and march ahead along with them," Gandhi said reaching out to people who have settled in Delhi from other states, mainly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakahnd.

Speaking in the same vein, AICC General Secretary in-charge Shakeel Ahmed said Delhi is home to not only people from Bihar and Eastern UP but from other states as well while BJP is aligning with Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray, who have been attacking Hindi-speaking people in Maharashtra.

Gandhi as well as Diskhit talked about regularisation of unauthorised colonies, which has been a major poll plank of the Congress in the national capital.