Hitting back over Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramaniam Swamy's allegation questioning his nationality, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "throwing mud" on him through his "cronies" and dared the government to "jail" him if he is guilty.
Addressing a Youth Congress gathering on the occasion of the 98th birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi, he also accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP of throwing mud on his family members ever since he was a child, asserting that he is "not going to be scared" by such things and that he will continue to fight against the BJP.
"Ever since I was a child, I have been watching people from the RSS and the BJP throwing mud at my grandmother, my father and even my mother. I want to say one thing. Modi ji is now the prime minister of India. Different kinds of allegations are levelled against me. There is not even an iota of truth in them.”
"Modi ji, it is your government. You have the agencies. Get a probe done against me and send me behind bars if you find something. Stop all this--the mud that you throw at me
and my family through your cronies. You are not in opposition, you are in government now," Gandhi said amidst cheers from the youth Congress activists adding he did not have an "iota of fear" on the issue.
He did not direct refer to Swamy but was apparently referring to his allegations on the basis of documents purportedly showing that Gandhi had claimed himself to be a British national before the company law authorities in the United Kingdom for setting up a company.
Swamy had demanded that Gandhi be stripped of Indian citizenship and Lok Sabha membership. He had written to Modi and later to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Rejecting the allegations, the Congress vice president said," I have not even an iota of fear. I will not withdraw (from attacking Modi). I will continue to fight for the poor, the farmers."
Sharpening his attack on the BJP and the RSS on the issue of communalism, the Congress vice president referred to Indira Gandhi's life to illustrate how she fought the "fanatic" forces and asked Congressmen to work in the same spirit.
"On one hand there are people from the RSS, who pit one against the other, cause riots and on the other hand is the Congress which connects people," he said.
At a time when the Congress is locked in a legacy battle with the National Democratic Alliance, Rahul highlighted the "pro-poor image" of Indira at the programme called 'Maa Tujhe Salaam'.
"Indira was a mother because she believed in what we believe. That is protecting the poor people who struggle everyday," he said.
Suggesting that fanatics are fringe elements and not the mainstream, he said, "People who kill are not many but few, who give the entire community a bad name. That is the RSS. They are giving a bad name to all of us. Our job is to bring together people who believe in each other."
Seeking to enthuse workers, Rahul sought to dispel the notion that the Congress has weakened after is worst performance in last general elections and reminded them it is the same Congress with 44 members of Parliament in Lok Sabha that stopped the dilution of UPA's land bill.
"People from the BJP and the RSS say that the Congress has only 40 to 45 MPs. Tell me if we have only 40 to 45 MPs, how did we stop the (NDA's) Land Bill? The main thing is what is our ideology and how do we fight. We fight for the poor, the oppressed. These very ideas of Congress are not weak.”
"The BJP felt that there will be a sweep in Bihar and the BJP will win. The prime minister went there, BJP chief Amit Shah went there. The sweep happened but not for them. It was our sweep. I am telling you even in the coming elections in the states, we are going to sweep," Gandhi said.
Amid a renewed buzz in the Congress about his elevation as party president and speculation about elders being shunted out, Gandhi reached out to veterans within the organisation saying his job is to bring together youth and experience.
Calling the Youth Congress and National Students' Union Of India the future of the Congress, Gandhi hailed a number of senior leaders like A K Anton , Motilal Vora, Ashok Gehlot and Ghulam Nabi Azad, crediting some of them for the victory of Congress in Bihar assembly polls.
"There is a lot of talk about change in Congress, Azad, Vora represent experience in Congress. You represent youth and energy. My job is to bring youth and experience together.
"The Youth Congress works on the ground but knowledge is with Gehlot ji. The knowledge and experience are with them and the energy is with you. My job is to connect this energy with experience," he said.
