PM Modi doesn't despise Congress or Rajiv Gandhi, he hates himself: Rahul Gandhi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not despise his party or its leaders but he hates himself because he betrayed the nation during his tenure as country's premier in the last five years.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

NEW DELHI: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not despise his party or its leaders but he hates himself because he betrayed the nation during his tenure as country's premier in the last five years. In an exclusive conversation with ABP News, Gandhi said his fight is against Modi's ideology of "fear and hatred" which is damaging India. "The entire country knows the history of my father. He and my grandmother died as martyrs. The hatred Narendra Modi has in his heart is not for me or the Congress. He does not despise Rajiv Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress party but he hates himself," the Congress chief said when asked about Modi's 'bharashtrachari number 1' remark against his father. "As the Congress chief, my responsibility is to wipe out that hatred from Modi's heart. I will fill his heart with love, which he cannot escape," he said. PM Modi losing elections Gandhi said Modi is attacking him and his party because he knows he is losing the elections. "I understand that he's scared because he knows he is going to lose. The hatred in his heart has originated from the fear of losing elections," Gandhi said. "The election has ended. Now, the last phase is going on and Narendra Modi has lost. He will not be returning as Prime Minister. It's impossible," he added. PM Modi betrayed the nation Gandhi also cornered Modi over his election promises to give Rs. 15 lakh, 2 crore jobs and loan waivers for farmers. "Modiji doesn't understand that he lied to people and also betrayed the nation. He failed to fulfil the promise of 2 crore jobs and Rs. 15 lakh cash deposit. People trusted him and voted him to power in 2014. They did not vote for the BJP to get duped," he said. Open debate challenge on 'Rafale theft' Gandhi slammed the prime minister over the Rafale agreement and said if Modi agrees to an "open debate", he will ask him to explain why parallel negotiations were carried out in the deal. He repeated his "chowkidar chor hai" (the watchman if thief) jibe to target Modi and alleged he has given Rs 30,000 crore to businessman Anil Ambani in the Rafale fighter jet deal. "I challenge Modiji for an open debate over the theft in Rafale deal. For this, I am even ready to come to 7 Race Course Road (now Lok Kalyan Marg) or the Prime Minister's Office, if invited. But the truth is that he cannot directly look into the press cameras. He doesn't have the courage to have a debate with me." Conduct inquiry on citizenship row On the row over his citizenship, the Gandhi scion said if the allegations were true then why the government is not taking action against him. "They (the BJP) talk about me, my father and others. If they want they can conduct any inquiry. If I am guilty, put me in jail. Having been in power for five years, why didn't they do that?" Gandhi asked. Modi obsessed with Gandhi family On BJP's criticism of Congress over "dynastic politics", the Congress chief said the prime minister and the BJP are obsessed with the Gandhi family. "Narendra Modi is obsessed (with the Gandhi family) because he knows we share a relationship with the people and our fight is the fight of ideology. I want to remind him our party made Narasimha Rao the prime minister. Also, Manmohan Singh was the prime minister for 10 years. Election Commission biased In a scathing criticism of the Election Commission (EC), Gandhi said when it comes to matters related to the opposition, the poll watchdog has a different set of rules. "There are two separate sets of rules being implemented (by the EC), one for the BJP and one for others," he said. "Also, the way elections are being conducted in seven phases, Modiji is getting the benefit. This is evident everywhere," he added. Cordial relationship with national leaders Gandhi said he shares a cordial relationship with all national leaders, including BSP chief Mayawati, SP president Akhilesh Yadav and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. "All the opposition parties have a different set of views but there's also a feeling of cooperation," he said. "I had had told Congress General Secretaries Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia that our primary aim is to defeat the BJP, so in places where we are not going to win, we'll help the (SP-BSP) gathbandan". "I respect Mamataji. She has a party, which we are fighting against but personally I have no issues with her," he said. South India's voice stifled by Modi Over his decision to contest from Kerala, Gandhi said he chose to fight from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat because people in Southern India feel their voices are stifled by Modi. Apart from re-contesting from his home constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad for the first time in south India though the ruling Left party criticised it. On his PM chances On his chances of becoming the next PM, Gandhi said it was for the people to decide. "It is up to the people of this country. No, it is not my place to say. It is a decision of the people of India and I respect the people of India." 'Nyay' scheme will provide a boost to economy Talking about Congress' minimum income guarantee scheme, Gandhi said the 'Nyay' scheme promised by his party will jump-start the country’s economy as people will have money in their bank accounts to spend. "Under the Nyay scheme, 25 crore people will get Rs. 6,000 per month, amounting to Rs 72,000 per year. In five years, they will get Rs 3.60 lakh in their accounts and that will give them power to purchase from the market," he said, adding that demonetisation and poor implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, which he dubs as the "Gabbar Singh Tax (GST)", has adversely affected purchasing power of people. "Now, NYAY will be the first step to restart India's economy."