The BJP on Sunday dismissed the INDIA bloc rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan as a “chaotic, unruly spectacle”, questioned the Opposition’s claim that 10 lakh people had attended and attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks questioning the legitimacy of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed that 40 per cent of the ground was empty and that 5,000 to 7,000 of the 28,000 chairs arranged at the venue were vacant between 3.30 pm and 4 pm, according to ANI.
“You can see in the background that 40 per cent of the Ramlila Maidan, 40% of the space, was vacant. Rahul Gandhi and his team claimed that 10 lakh people would attend. Out of 28,000 chairs, around 5,000–7,000 were empty at 3:30–4 PM. This is the reality behind Congress's claim of 10 lakh attendees,” Patra said.
He questioned where the 10 lakh people promised by the Congress were, saying the Opposition had failed to draw the claimed turnout despite bringing together several parties and their supporters.
“Where were the 10 lakh people? Show us. No one becomes a leader or Prime Minister through such tricks. PM doesn’t just mean Prime Minister. P stands for Paseena (sweat), and M stands for Mehnat (hard work). A Prime Minister is made through sweat and hard work,” he said.
Patra also described the rally as a “complete waste of time”, saying he and other BJP leaders had been following Gandhi’s speech since morning, ANI reported.
The BJP spokesperson attacked Gandhi over his remarks questioning the legitimacy of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, saying Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was not in office at the time of the polls and assumed the post only in 2025.
“Rahul Gandhi said the 2024 election was illegal. Gyanesh Kumar was not even there during the 2024 elections. He became the Election Commissioner in 2025,” Patra said.
He argued that if the 2024 election was illegal, Gandhi’s position as Leader of the Opposition and that of the MPs elected in the polls would also be illegal. Patra challenged the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties to approach the courts if they disputed the election results.
“If the 2024 election was illegal, then Rahul Gandhi is also an illegal Leader of Opposition, and all his MPs are illegal. If an election is illegal, challenge it in court,” he said.
“Show me a single petition filed by Rahul Gandhi, Congress or any INDIA bloc party challenging the 2024 election. You cannot declare an election illegal two and a half years later at Ramlila Maidan,” he added.
Patra also accused Gandhi of speaking with an attitude of entitlement after the Congress leader targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the rally.
“This is the way children of a Mughal emperor speak. This Hindustan does not belong to your 'abbujan' (father). It belongs to Hindustanis,” Patra said.
Gandhi had told the gathering that Modi could not leave office even if he wanted to, adding that the Opposition would not let him go. He had also warned that Modi and Shah would face legal action.
Responding to Gandhi’s remarks, Patra said Modi would remain in office as long as the Congress leader continued manufacturing “non-issues” to create anarchy. He also described the Opposition gathering as a “chaotic, unruly spectacle”.
“Rahul Gandhi said it was 'shiv ki baraat'. It was not shiv ki baraat. It was a chaotic, unruly spectacle,” he said.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh also targeted Gandhi over the rally, claiming that half of Ramlila Maidan remained empty despite the Congress announcing a turnout of 10 lakh and bringing supporters from across the country, ANI reported.
“The truth has been exposed. Announcements of 10 lakh people, bringing people from across the country through 20 parties by paying them, and yet half of Ramlila Maidan remained empty. The capacity of Ramlila Maidan is only 50,000,” Singh said.
Accusing Gandhi of adopting an “urban Naxal” posture, Singh said Indian youth were driven by nationalism and claimed that people were rejecting those alleging vote theft.
“The youth of India is filled with nationalism... You are alleging vote theft, while people are saying that they have stopped voting for thieves,” he added.
The INDIA bloc held the ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday as part of its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Top Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, attended the rally.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)