Vadakkan? No no, Vadakkan isn't big leader, says Rahul

New Delhi, Mar 15: A day after Congress's Tom Vadakkan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he is not a big leader.

News agency ANI reported that when asked about what effect Vadakkan's leaving the Congress would have on the party, Rahul Gandhi said, "Vadakkan? No, no Vadakkan is not a big leader."

Tom Vadakkan, once seen as a key aide of Sonia Gandhi, joined the BJP on Thursday, saying he was "deeply hurt" over the opposition party's stand post-Pulwama terror strike, and that his decision was "not about ideology but patriotism".

Jolted by the surprise announcement, the Congress was quick to dismiss Vadakkan's criticism of the party saying that till now he used to "abuse" Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and hoped that all his "desires may be fulfilled" in the BJP.