Rahul Gandhi addresses a rally at Mangolpuri in Delhi
At an election rally in Delhi,
Rahul Gandhi addressed a large crowd of 50,000 people, and pitched the capital's widely-acclaimed metro as an example of the Congress party's good governance in its three terms in office.
"I have full confidence that the Congress will win again in Delhi," Mr Gandhi said as he batted for Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who is seeking a fourth term in the December 4 state polls . "No one can say there's been no development in Delhi, not even the Opposition."
Mr Gandhi did not refer in his speech today to his controversial remarks last week that triggered a political landmine.
At an election rally in Madhya Pradesh, he claimed that an intelligence officer had told him that Pakistani agencies, including the powerful ISI, have contacted young Muslim men whose families were seared by recent communal riots in Muzaffarnagar. Nearly 50 people were killed in Hindu-Muslim violence in Western Uttar Pradesh. Mr Gandhi's remarks suggested that Pakistan is trying to lure young Muslims to work against India.
Mr Gandhi's speech today was delivered as Narendra Modi, the BJP's candidate for prime minister, spoke to a huge crowd in Patna, minutes after a series of low-intensity blasts in and around the venue.
Mr Modi has dared the government and Mr Gandhi, who has christened "shahzada" or prince, to either name the young Muzaffarnagar Muslims he referred to, or apologize for questioning the patriotism of an entire community.