Union minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said like Mahendra Singh Dhoni in cricket, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is the "best finisher" of Indian politics as his party's presence is shrinking everywhere.

Speaking at an election campaign rally in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district, the senior BJP leader also alleged that Congress has an "unbreakable" relationship with corruption.

Congress once dominated Indian politics, but now it has a government only in two or three small states, he said.

"I sometimes wonder why this is happening, and I reach this conclusion. Who is the best finisher in cricket? (After people replied) Dhoni. If anyone asks me who is the best finisher in Indian politics, I will say it is Rahul Gandhi. This is the reason several leaders have left Congress," the senior BJP leader said.

At an earlier rally, Singh had taken a jibe at Rahul Gandhi saying he had vowed not to stop until he "finished" the Grand Old Party.

Congress and corruption were inextricably linked, Singh said, adding that most Congress governments faced corruption allegations, but no such allegations were made against any minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The Congress' relationship with corruption can be described by the song "Tu Chal Mein Aai" (I will follow you) in the Salman Khan- starrer "Maine Pyar Kiya," the minister said.

Singh also batted for `one-nation, one-election, claiming that it will save time and resources.

Contrary to what Congress has been saying, simultaneous elections will strengthen Indian democracy, he said, adding that elections should be held twice in five years -- once for local bodies, followed by those for assemblies and the Lok Sabha.

Some big financial firms are predicting that India will be in the top three economies of the world by the start of 2027, and the Modi government has already put the country in the top five from the 11th spot ten years ago, the defence minister said.

India will be a superpower by 2045, Singh added.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.