Kochi: Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Saturday told a gathering of student leaders near here that his visit to Mumbai was a huge success.

"When 15 Shiv Sena activists waved black flags at me, thousands in Mumbai welcomed me. The visit was a huge success," said Rahul, who surprised all in the state Congress unit here with his unexpected visit.

Rahul arrived here by a special flight by 11.10am, and drove straight to the office of the Kerala Students Union, the students' wing of the Congress party. He heard out three student leaders before speaking.