'How can I hate PM Modi?' asks Congress President Rahul Gandhi ahead of Gujarat election Phase 2

Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, December 13, in an interview to Gujarati news channel GSTV said he has no hatred for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress chief said: "I can have two reactions when they say something about my father who I love, when they abuse me. I can either hate or love even more. The more they place hurdles before me, the stronger I get. Modiji helps me the most, how can I hate him?"

"If you look at religion and the history of the nation, love has to be the response to hatred. There is zero emotion of anger and hatred in me," Rahul said on being asked about the comments made by Modi on the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Reacting to an earlier comment made on Rahul by BJP ally Shiv Sena, the Congress chief said"It's not a makeover. They used a lot of money and people to distort my image. I believe in the truth, I speak the truth and the truth is out."

He spoke on many issues in line with the Gujarat elections, and said the elections are "not about Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi, it's about the people of Gujarat."

He added: "I only say what Gujarat is saying, what the people have told me their problems are. The BJP is afraid of what the people are saying, not of what Rahul Gandhi is saying."

Modi has termed the contest between the BJP and the Congress as one between development and dynasty.

Gujarat will vote on December 14 in its second phase of 2019 Assembly elections in 93 constituencies. The first phase which was on December 9 saw a voter turnout of 68 percent and the saffron party claimed that they (BJP) will "register a landslide victory".

The Congress has also prepared itself by joining hands with the agitating Patidar leader Hardik Patel.

Meanwhile, political parties including the BJP and the Congress are contesting for 182 seats, and in order to win a party needs to register 92 seats to have a majority and form government in the state. The BJP won 116 seats in the 2012 Lok Sabha election. The Congress had won 60.