CHANDRAPUR: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday mounted a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of humiliating BJP veteran LK Advani, who was denied Lok Sabha poll ticket by the party. Gandhi's swipe at Modi over the treatment meted out to Advani follows the BJP patriarch's blog published on Thursday where he said the BJP never considered its political adversaries as anti-national.

Addressing a poll rally at Chandrapur later, Gandhi said Modi had humiliated Advani, adding disrespecting one's guru is not Hindu culture.

"BJP talks of Hinduism. In Hinduism, guru is supreme. It talks of guru-shishya tradition. Who is Modi's guru? Advani. Modi just kicked Advani out (`Joota marke stage se utara')," Gandhi said.

The remark was a veiled reference to Advani not getting Lok Sabha poll ticket from Gandhinagar, from where BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah instead.

"2019 (polls) is a battle of ideologies and the Congress ideology of brotherhood, love and harmony will win against Modi's hate, anger and divisive ideology."

Advani wrote a blog 'Nation First, Party Next, Self Last’ on Thursday ahead of the party's foundation day on April 6, in which he said, "The essence of Indian democracy is respect for diversity and freedom of expression."

In the blog,  the 91-year-old leader said, "Right from its inception, the BJP has never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our 'enemies', but only as our adversaries."

Advani's views assume significance at a time when the BJP under Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah have made the issue of national security a key plank for the general elections and have often accused its political rivals of speaking the language of India's enemies like Pakistan.