Rahul Gandhi reiterates 'love' for Modi, says PM angry with him
Pune: Congress President Rahul Gandhi Friday reiterated his 'love' for Prime Minister Narendra Modi but bemoaned that the latter has only anger towards him.
Gandhi was interacting with students in Pune.
"I love PM Modi. Genuinely, I have no hatred or anger towards the man, but he (Modi) has anger towards me," he said.
"I genuinely do not have anger towards him, he added.
There were brief chants of "Modi, Modi" soon after this comment, to which Gandhi responded," Its fine.. its OK".
This was not the first time Gandhi spoke of having 'affection' for Modi. In March, he recalled the day he had hugged Modi and said he could not hate him since love "is in the country's grain, every religion, and the Tamil people".
He made those remarks while interacting with students of a college in Chennai. When a student asked him why he chose to hug the prime minister, Gandhi had said he had watched a 'very angry' Modi in Parliament running down his party, his late father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia.
After a fiery speech in Parliament in October last year, Gandhi had done something unprecedented: He had walked up to Modi and hugged him, leaving the PM bewildered for a moment.
Gandhi also told the students at Pune that his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was his "best friend", adding there can be no fights with her.
Gandhi said he has seen a lot of violence affecting his family and refereed to the assassinations of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
He gave an insight into his rapport with his younger sibling, who formally entered politics a few months ago, and childhood memories.
Asked if ever has fights or arguments with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he said, "There would be fights earlier. But not now. Since I was small, I have been through a lot of violence with the assassinations of my grandmother and father.
"My sister has been my friend and we understand each other well. If there is a situation of argument, sometimes she backs off and sometimes I do."
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Karnataka Deputy CM Shivakumar sings RSS anthem, stuns Assembly
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president, took everyone by surprise on Friday when he sang the RSS anthem during a discussion in the state Assembly on the stampede near Chinnaswamy stadium, which claimed the lives of 11 people.
A sudden musical note amazed the House, which heard the first few lines of the RSS Anthem ‘Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhoome’.
Shivakumar’s recital came when the BJP legislators accused Shivakumar of being an ‘abettor’ of the stampede as he created mass frenzy.
They alleged that Shivakumar went to receive the RCB team on their arrival at the Bengaluru airport, waved the Kannada flag throughout the journey from the airport to the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Replying to the accusations, Shivakumar said, "I am a member of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and people there, including the KSCA secretary, are my friends. I am the Bengaluru In-Charge Minister. I had gone to the Airport and Stadium (on June 4). I also held the Karnataka flag, I did wish them (RCB) and I kissed the cup as well. I have done my job".
He added, "The accident happened. Such things have happened in other states as well. If needed, I will read out the list of incidents that have occurred in other places as well. I, too, have many things to say about you as well".
The Deputy CM also said he grew up with Home Minister G Parameshwara.
To this, Leader of the Opposition BJP R Ashoka reminded Shivakumar that he once said he wore ‘RSS Chaddi’.
Much to the amusement of the House, Shivakumar sang ‘Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhoome......’.
The opposition welcomed the anthem by thumping the table but there was an absolute silence in the Congress camp.
The BJP legislator V Sunil Kumar quipped, saying, "Hope these lines are not removed from the records".
Shivakumar sought to know did the governments ever take responsibility whenever such incidents took place.
"You should feel proud that this government quickly (after the stampede) acted and initiated action against police officers and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru," he said.
