Rahul Gandhi says INDIA bloc has ‘psychologically broken’ Narendra Modi: ‘From 56 inch chest…’

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lauded the INDIA bloc for ‘psychologically breaking’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an address in poll-bound Jammu and Kashmir.

The former Congress Chief was addressing a public rally in support of Congress-National Conference alliance candidates in the Surankote of Poonch district.

"...'Saaf dikhta hai ki jo voh phele Narendra Modi the voh Narendra Modi aaj nahin bacha hai'. Whatever the opposition wants them to do, we get it done. They bring a law but when we stand strong against it, the law is not passed and they bring a new law. The confidence they had earlier is now finished. We have broken Narendra Modi's psychology..." the former Congress Chief said during a public rally in Poonch.

Accusing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading hatred and violence across the country to divide people in the name of religion, caste and creed, the Congress leader said hate cannot be defeated by hate, it can be won only by love. Gandhi claimed that the grand old party has opened "shops of love in the markets of hate" to counter them.

“In India, a Union Territory (UT) has been changed to a state. Two parts of a state have also been done...But for the first time in the history of India, a state has been changed to UT here. Your democratic right has been snatched from you...Therefore, our first demand is once again you should be given statehood..” the Rae Bareli MP added.

Gandhi said that the Congress would put pressure on the Centre if it failed to restore Jammu and Kashmir's statehood after completion of the Assembly elections.

"If they fail to restore statehood after the elections, we will put pressure on them to ensure that your statehood is restored," Gandhi added.

It is important to note that the three-phase polls for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly are currently underway. Voting for the first phase was conducted on September 18. Voting for the second and third phases to be held on Wednesday and October 1, respectively. The results will be declared on October 8.