People will say 'chowkidaar chor hai' until Modi answers Rafale questions: Shatrughan Sinha

Speaking at the mega opposition rally against the BJP in Kolkata on Saturday, Sinha said: "I am a Bharat ka janta (an Indian) first before being a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)."

Saying many people asked him why he spoke against the BJP despite being a party member, he said: "I cannot compromise with the truth."

"If speaking the truth is rebellion, then I am a rebel," he said.

"During Atal Bihari Vajpayee's reign, we were a democracy. Now, it's a dictatorship," he said, adding that all he did was for the benefit of the party.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who spoke after Sinha, said the Prime Minister was a big lier.

"Modi will say one lie and give 10 lies for free," he said.

Congress' former president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday skipped West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's mega rally at the icnonic Brigade Parade Ground here but sent a message through senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

Sonia said in the message that the 2019 General Election is a contest to restore the nation's faith in democracy.

On Friday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is skipping the rally, interestingly sent a letter to Mamata supporting the political programme.

Referring to TMC supremo as "Mamata Di", Rahul said in a letter, "We commend the great people of Bengal who have historically been at the forefront of defending our ideals.

"I extend my support to Mamata Di on this show of unity and hope that we send a powerful message of a united India together."

Apart from Kharge, Congress' Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, is also present at the rally.

From anti-Modi BJP leader like Shatrughan Sinha to Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav to DMK chief MK Stalin, all senior leaders of Indian regional and national parties have arrived in Kolkata to take part in the rally.

Former BJP leader Arun Shourie to Dalit leader like Jignesh Mevani to Janata Dal chief Sharad Yadav and Nationalist Congress Party head Sharad Pawar, top leaders of India have arrived in Kolkata since yesterday to take part in the rally dubbed as "United India Rally".

Ahead of the rally, Kolkata streets were almost smothered by the visages of the West Bengal Chief Minister in the trademark style of the Trinamool Congress supremo.

Beginning the proceedings of the day, Mamata Banerjee invited Hardik Patel to speak first, followed by leaders like Jignesh Mevani. She said she would speak last since she would want all to hear the guests of Bengal first.

While the Chief Minister  has termed the rally as "United India Rally"  political pundits view it as the pitching of the Bengal CM as a probable PM alternative if the BJP failed to return to power with majority or a fractured mandate gives the Opposition to keep BJP out of power.