Modi asks supporters not to overdo cheers

Hundreds of enthusiastic supporters screamed “Modi, Modi” at his rally today in Delhi. Modi was forced to tell the crowd: “Your enthusiasm has been acknowledged and even the media has registered it by now. So, don’t overdo it.” Shaswati Das, Neelam Pandey and Darpan Singh report.

If one just squinted the eyes a little and looked at the first row of an estimated half-a-million supporters waiting for BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at Rohini in New Delhi's on Sunday, it wouldn't have been very hard to gauge their feeling — Modi’s image is much larger than his huge cut-out installed near the media enclosure at the Japanese Park.

Scores of visitors thronged the BJP’s Vikas Rally, where diplomats from a number of foreign missions were also present.

Just as Modi stood up to speak, the bugle started blowing for a really long time, even after he reached the dais.

Hundreds of enthusiastic supporters screamed “Modi, Modi” to hear him make a case for a BJP government at the Centre.

His first words -- 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' – invited a huge cheer by the crowd, so loud that when it didn’t stop for a while, Modi was forced to tell the crowd: “Your enthusiasm has been acknowledged and even the media has registered it by now. So, don’t overdo it.”

The crowd mellows down, but not for long.

While Modi went on firing salvos at the UPA, the overwhelmed supporters seemed uncontrollable. But the leader continued. “No party in Indian history has held such a big rally in Delhi,” he claimed.

“The country's priority should be to vote this (UPA) govt out of power. Each UPA constituent pulls in its own direction and the country is going nowhere.

The Delhi CM has the easiest job. All she does is cut ribbons at inaugurations. She has no responsibilities. Doob maro, doob maro Delhi government.”

After more than half-an-hour tirade against the UPA government, Modi signed off with his trademark vigorous chanting of “Vande Mataram”.

But wait, that was not the end of BJP’s Vikas Rally. As Modi took a bow, the venue was filled by the sounds of an outrageous composition – a male voice crooning “Delhi mein toh CM ki beti bhi mahfooz nahin (even the CM’s daughter is not safe in Delhi).

The valedictory song was just an extension of the mood created by cricketer-turned-BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, who reached out to the crowd with a slew of self-composed couplets, reminding the audience of a famous comedy show on TV where he makes a cameo every weekend.