Tens of thousands join Cong party's Bharat Bachao Rally

New Delhi: The historic Ramlila Maidan on Saturday witnessed a massive footfall as tens of thousands joined the Congress party's Bharat Bachao Rally. From early in the day, roads leading to the venue were jam-packed as party supporters from across the country thronged to mark their protest against the current government at the Centre. Calling the rally a "thumping success", city Congress president Subhash Chopra said his party is set to stage a comeback in Delhi after the Assembly polls next year, claiming that lakhs of people were present at the rally addressed by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Participants at the rally expressed their frustration with the current state of politics in the country and raised calls of the Congress party being the last hope for secularism to survive in India. "People of Delhi are tired of the misrule of the BJP government at the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, and want the Congress to come back to power in Delhi," Chopra said. The Congress had managed to improve its vote share in Lok Sabha polls in May this year and pushed the AAP to the third place in five of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. Chopra said the success of the rally has sounded the "death knell" of both the BJP and the AAP governments. The "forceful attack" on Modi by Rahul Gandhi has strengthened the position of the Congress party in the city, he claimed.

"The entire rally was thronged with Congress workers from across the country and all corners of Delhi, carrying the tricolour, banners and placards as they arrived at the rally ground in processions. From as early as 6 am, party leaders were busy ensuring that people reached the venue on time," he said.

Delhi Congress leaders including Chopra had been visiting different parts of the city holding public meetings to slam the BJP-led government at the Centre on issues like the economic slowdown and unemployment and to mobilise people to participate in the "Bharat Bachao" rally.

"The rally was historic as very rarely have so many people attended a political rally at the Ramlila Maidan.

People from all strata of society participated in the rally," Chopra claimed, while Delhi Congress spokesperson Mukesh Sharma said that even the cold December winds could not stop lakhs of people from reaching at venue in the wee hours of Saturday morning, proving their faith in the Congress party.