Rahul holds roadshow in Varanasi, BJP cries foul, asks why was Modi barred

New Delhi: India's top leaders are making a beeline for Varanasi which goes to polls on Monday. The Lok Sabha constituency is significant as two of the top contenders for the Prime Minister's post are fighting their elections from the seat - Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal. And days after they held their roadshows and delivered their last speeches in the city, the third prime player these elections hit the streets there - Rahul Gandhi - to drum up support for the Congress's candidate Ajai Rai in the city.

Rahul's roadshow was enough to ruffle the feathers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which was earlier denied permission to hold a rally in Varanasi. "Rahul Gandhi's roadshow is happening in the same area of Varanasi where we were not allowed to hold a rally. This clearly shows that it was only due to political reasons why BJP wasn't given the permission to hold the rally.

It seems security reasons are an issue only for the BJP and not other parties. How come rules are different for the other three parties?" BJP leader Arun Jaitley asked.

Jaitley was referring to Modi's rally in Beniabagh in Varanasi, which could not be held as per schedule after the district administration denied permission to the BJP citing security reasons.

"Our grievance is the same. Rahul Gandhi can do a roadshow here. Kejriwal can do a roadshow. Akhilesh Yadav can do a roadshow but only Narendra Modi can't do it from Kashi from where I am talking now," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said. He asserted that Varanasi will vote for Modi "whether Rahul Gandhi or Akhilesh Yadav or Kejriwal conduct a roadshow or airshow".

The Congress, however, jumped to Rahul's rescue. "Such a roadshow may be new for Modi or Kejriwal but it's nothing new for the Congress party. Those who are saying that it is tit-for-tat politics, they aren't aware that Rahul held a similar rally here in 2004. BJP was given the necessary permissions to campaign here too, they made a show out of it unnecessarily," Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

Rahul ended his roadshow with a tribute to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya by garlanding his statue at the Lanka gate of Varanasi. His supporters said the Congress will win in Varanasi as it enjoyed "silent support" of the people which Modi and Kejriwal didn't have.