POL-RAHUL-RALLY

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today launched a fusillade on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, questioning why the country's "chowkidar" was silent on issues of graft and weakening of institutions.

Addressing his party's 'Jan Aakrosh' rally, Gandhi said the prime minister also did not speak on the case of judge BH Loya and agrarian distress.

"Modi ji did not speak a single word on Doklam during his visit to China. What kind of prime minister is he," asked Gandhi at the rally held at Ramilia Maidan here.

Further targeting the prime minister, Gandhi sought to compare the performance of the governments led by his party with that of the Modi dispensation at the Centre.

"Prime Minister Modi gave unemployment, 'Gabbar Singh Tax' (the term the Congress coined for the Goods and Services Tax to target the government), BJP MLA inflicted atrocities on women (Unnao rape case) in his tenure," Gandhi said.

Gandhi claimed the Congress united all sections of society and spread love in 70 years unlike the BJP, which allegedly attacked Dalits and minorities.

Gandhi charged that farmers were under stress, but their loans were not written off by the government, which, he added, waived of debts of corporate houses.

"I met him on the agrarian issues. But he did not listen to us," the Congress president charged.

Gandhi exuded confidence that his party will emerge victorious in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls and defeat the BJP in the 2019 general polls.

He also said that the Congress will respect veteran and young leaders of the party alike and that it will allow different views to emerge.

He was apparently referring to the remarks of senior party leader Salman Khurshid, who had recently said that there were Muslims' blood stains on hands of Congress. The party had distanced itself from Khurshid's views.

Gandhi also hailed Congress workers, saying they have laid their lives for "truth and the country" and described them as "sher ka bachha" (lion cubs).

Referring to the incident in which an aircraft carrying him to Karnataka's Hubballi nose dived before landing safely, Gandhi said he thought of God at that time and added he will undertake Kailash Mansarovar yatra after the Karnataka polls.