Watch: Modi’s mojo falls flat at Raebareli rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to be the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) biggest vote-catcher. But after having lost recent assembly elections in three big states to the Congress and two others to regional parties, Modi seems to have lost his mojo.

On Sunday, Modi kicked off BJP's campaign for the next year's general elections and he was greeted by empty chairs and black flags in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli, the home turf of UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi.

Amid much media hype, this was PM Modi’s first rally in Raebareli but as expected not many people came to attend the rally. Most of the seats remained unoccupied at the venue even though Modi arrived late to ensure large gathering.

Even when UP CM Yogi Adityanath was addressing the rally, there was a thin gathering despite strict instructions to the local administration to make the event successful. People were seen leaving the venue when both the star campaigners were speaking at the rally.

At a time when the Modi government is at pains to justify the purchase of 36 fighter jets from France as part of Rafale deal, PM Modi accused the Congress of aiding those who, he said, want to weaken the Indian Army by raising questions over the government and even the Supreme Court over dubious purchase of fighter jets.

In his speech, the Prime Minister largely avoided talking about the local problems or major issues concerning the common masses. “Today, there are two camps in the country. One is the government that is trying to strengthen our Army. The other wants to weaken our Army at any cost,” Modi said, flagging off the 900th coach of Modern Rail Factory and a Humsafar Rake in Raebareli, Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency.