Modi just a 'mukhauta', afraid of me because I know the system: Rahul at mega I.N.D.I.A. rally

This is not a fight against a political party or any leader…it is not a fight against BJP, it is not a fight against Modi, Rahul said.

Mumbai: Describing Narendra Modi as a 'mukhauta' (mask) who works for a 'shakti' (force), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that the Prime Minister is afraid of him because he knows the system and how it works.

In his address during the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Manzil', Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge described ‘shakti’ as the RSS, its ideology and thought-process. "The ideology of "Manuvad' has to be defeated," Kharge said.

Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Gandhi along with several leaders of I.N.D.I.A. alliance spoke at a rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Mumbai, launching the campaign of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Narendra Modi is afraid of me because I know the system. He can't win a single election without EVMs. Raja ki aatma EVM mein hai, Raja ki aatma har sansthan mein hai...ED, CBI, I-T mein hai,” Gandhi said, lashing out at PM Modi.

“This is not a fight against a political party or any leader…it is not a fight against BJP, it is not a fight against Modi…he is just a ‘mukhauta’ (mask) and works for a shakti,” Gandhi said. He however, did not elaborate.

About the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra - which traversed a total of over 10,000 kms, Gandhi said: "We had to undertake this yatra because the communication system of the country including the media and social media is not in the hands of the country. Issues that concern the public like unemployment, hatred, violence, inflation, farmers' issues are not being projected to the country,” Gandhi said.

“People from every state are sitting here today, the whole of India is speaking here. The voice of I.N.D.I.A. alliance is the voice of Hindustan,” he said amid thunderous applause.

The meeting presided over by Kharge saw participation of several top I.N.D.I.A. leaders including party chiefs, chief ministers and ex-chief ministers.

Former Maharashtra Chief Ministers - Sharad Pawar, the leader of NCP (SCP), Uddhav Thackeray, the head of Shiv Sena (UBT), Prithviraj Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M K Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Champ Soren, former Jammu & Kashmir CM and National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah, former Bihar Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj were present at the mega rally.