Delhi: Rahul Gandhi addresses rally in Mangolpuri | Indian News

Facing a vehement attack from Left and Right parties for his remark on UP riot victims, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is addressing a party rally in northwest Delhi’s Mangolpuri on Sunday for the first time after the December 4 assembly polls were announced in the national capital.

Gandhi has been in the eye of storm after he said that the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan was in touch with the Muslim youths from the Muzaffarnagar area where riots took place in September.

The Congress is hoping for a fourth straight stint in government in Delhi.

Ahead of the rally, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday said the party is working hard to make the rally a “huge, huge success”.

"This is the first rally by Rahulji here in connection with the December 4 assembly elections. We are expecting a very, very huge crowd," Dikshit said, adding, "We have made all arrangements for the rally. We are confident that it will be a very successful rally.”

Other senior Delhi Congress leaders, including Dikshit, are also attending the event.

This was the first time that the Gujarat CM and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi are holding rallies on the same day. Modi is addressing his Hunkar rally in Bihar.

The Congress party has defended Gandhi and hit back at BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for targeting the Gandhi family and calling him "Shahzada" (prince) in recent speeches.

On Saturday, Dikshit said Gandhi "is learning" and it is not right to "pre-judge" him. "He is learning ... Let us not pre-judge him ... start judging him if he is chosen prime minister when Congress comes to power (in 2014)," Dikshit told the CNN-IBN news channel in an interview.

Congress leader Girija Vyas said every political leader has the right to participate in elections and hold rallies, but he or she should not cross the level of decency while doing so. "I think what he (Modi) said even the people of the country will not like because this family has made so many sacrifices for the country," said Vyas.