Respect all 'chai walahs' but not those who fool you: Rahul Gandhi takes on Narendra Modi in Gujarat

Addressing a rally in BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's home state, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, strongly criticised the BJP government.

Evoking Mahatma Gandhi, while simultaneously condemning the RSS idelogies, he said, "It was RSS idealogy that was responsible for Mahatma Gandhi's murder. Our lives have been devoted to the service, not a poisonous ideology like RSS."

Making further accusation he attacks Modi's plans of building statue Sardar Vallabhai Patel's statue, he said, "Sardar Vallabhai Patel wanted to ban the RSS!"

He questions, "If BJP is really against corruption why not help Congress pass the six Bills lying in Parliament?"

"It was Congress who fought for the farmers and their land. We helped 14 crore people go above poverty line," he said. "Representatives of farmers came to me and said they were being turned out of Gujarat."

Taking a jibe at Modi he says, "Only one person is empowered here in Gujarat. Congress, on the other hand, wants to empower everyone, the tribals, the poors, the farmers. You must respect all 'chai walahs', but not those who make a fool out of you."

"Some people make tea, some run taxi, some do farming; we have to respect all, respect everyone," he adds.

"There has been no Lokayukta in Gujarat for 9 years. 13,000 government schools are closed down in Gujarat," he points out. "Development here is because of the hardwork of the people of Gujarat, not because of one person."

"We talk of eradicating poverty, while they talk of eradicating the poor," he concludes.