Such things happen only in Pakistan: Rahul Gandhi

Blowing poll bugle in Chhattisgarh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Modi government by comparing the prevailing state of affairs in India with Pakistan and African countries.

Making his first public comment after facing reversal in Karnataka polls, Rahul said, "An environment of fear and insecurity is prevailing in the country...RSS is making its way into all institutions in the country. Aisa Pakistan ya tanashahi mein hota hai (Such things happen in countries like Pakistan or dictatorships)."

Taking a direct dig at PM Modi, he said, "The judiciary is under fear, the press is under fear and even the BJP's members of parliament are under the same fear as they cannot speak a single word before the Prime Minister."

Giving the example of Karnataka, Congress president also took on the BJP for trampling down the Constitution and murdering democracy as he said, "In Karnataka, on the one side there are MLAs standing and on the other side, the Governor. JD(S) has said its MLAs have been offered Rs 100 crore (to defect)."

Rahul also spoke about the four senior Supreme Court judges saying that things weren't hunky-dory in India's highest judicial authority.

"It happened in Pakistan and Africa. But this happened for the first time in 70 years in India," he said, referring to the Supreme Court's judges press conference earlier this year.

Taking strong exception to Rahul's charge, BJP president Amit Shah said the Congress party's "opportunist offer" of alliance to the JD(S) was a murder of democracy as it was politically motivated.

"The 'Murder of Democracy' happens the minute a desperate Congress made an 'opportunist' offer to the JD(S), not for Karnataka's welfare but for their petty political gains. Shameful!" Shah said in a tweet.

''The legacy of Mr. Rahul Gandhi's Party is the horrific Emergency, blatant misuse of Article 356, subverting the courts, media and civil society,'' he added.