New Delhi, July 21 : A day after surprising the Prime Minister with a hug, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he would tackle Narendra Modi's "hate and fear" with love and compassion.

"The point of yesterday's debate in Parliament...Prime Minister uses hate, fear and anger in the hearts of some of our people to build his narrative. We are going to prove that love and compassion in the hearts of all Indians is the only way to build a nation," Gandhi tweeted.

The no-confidence motion against the Modi government was defeated in the Lok Sabha after a 12-hour long heated debate which saw the treasury and opposition benches trade charges.

But what stole the show was the moment when Gandhi, after a blistering speech, walked over to hug a surprised Prime Minister.

He said love and tolerance, not hatred and lynchings, was the way forward for India.

"I have not an iota of hatred or hard feelings against you. You hate me. You may call me Pappu, you can use a stream of expletives for me. But I don't hate you or have even slightest of anger for you. I am the Congress," Gandhi said at the end of his nearly 40-minute fiery speech.

Modi hit out at him accusing the Congress chief of arrogance, negativity, childish conduct and a burning desire to become Prime Minister.

Modi said he was extending best wishes to the Congress and other opposition parties to bring another no-confidence motion in 2024.

The Prime Minister replying to the debate on no-confidence motion, moved by the TDP, against the government in the Lok Sabha, said the Congress lacked self-confidence and had no faith in the Chief Justice of India, Election Commission, Electronic Voting Machines, Reserve Bank of India and programmes like Swachh Bharat.

 

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Mumbai (PTI): The gunning down of Badlapur case accused Akshay Shinde on Monday was the "killing of justice", said Asim Sarode, lawyer for the two minor girls he allegedly sexually assaulted.

Shinde was killed near Mumbra Bypass around 6:15pm when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case registered on the complaint of his former wife.

After he shot and injured an API, another personnel from the escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.

"While representing the two minor girls, I noticed it was becoming uncomfortable for the local politics of the Thane district and even for the educational institution where Akshay Shinde was working. Shinde's death in such a manner is killing of justice," Sarode told a regional news channel.

"Now, the case of sexual assault of the two minor girls will get sidelined. The case of these two minor girls was becoming difficult for the educational institute, as it is affiliated with a certain political family. Such a practice would lower the confidence of people in police and the judiciary," he claimed.

Sarode said he will be filing a plea before the Bombay High Court demanding thorough inquiry into the firing incident.

"Shinde's case could have brought up certain aspects that would have been negative politically for the government. I wonder how Shinde could access the gun and how he could unlock it when his hands were tied. This is political murder and is absolutely wrong," he said.