I'm a Gandhi, not Savarkar to apologise: Rahul to BJP

The Congress party on Saturday launched a blistering attack on the Modi government over the state of the economy and other issues, with Rahul Gandhi launching into a headline-grabbing tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Rahul said he was a Gandhi and not a Savarkar to apologise for his ‘rape in India’ remarks and asked Modi and Shah to apologise for “destroying” the country’s economy.

“BJP wants me to apologise for speaking the truth. I am not Rahul Savarkar. I am Rahul Gandhi. I will not apologise. Nor will anyone from the Congress,” he said addressing the Bharat Bachao Rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi.

Going on the offensive at the massive rally, the former Congress president said Modi and his “assistant” Shah should tender an apology to the nation as they had succeeded in doing what India’s enemies had failed to do, “destroy India’s economy”.

“All of India’s enemies wanted that its economy, which is its strength, should be destroyed.”

“That work (of destroying the economy) has not been done by the enemies, but by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. And, (he) still calls himself a patriot,” he added.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former finance minister P Chidambaram also spoke at the rally attended by thousands of party workers from across the country.

Sonia described India under the Modi government as “andher nagri, chaupat raja” (a confused ruler, a chaotic state) and declared that the time had come to redeem the nation as envisioned by its founding fathers.

“We should give a loud and clear message to the Modi-Shah duo that we are ready to make any sacrifice to protect democracy. We are ready for any struggle to uphold the sanctity of our Constitution,” Sonia said. When her turn came, Priyanka took a dig at the BJP’s ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’ (it is possible if there is Modi) slogan.

Former PM Manmohan Singh slammed the government over the economic crisis. “Six years ago, Narendra Modi made lofty promises to people. Now, it has been proved that all these promises were false and the people of the country were misled,” he said.