Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Sunday replied with “love and a huge hug” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “bhrashtachari No. 1” barb against his father Rajiv.

Rahul’s comments came after Modi at a poll rally said that Rajiv’s life ended as “bhrashtachari No. 1 (corrupt No. 1)”.

“Modi Ji, The battle is over. Your Karma awaits you. Projecting your inner beliefs about yourself onto my father won’t protect you. All my love and a huge hug. Rahul,” the Congress president tweeted.

At a rally in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, Modi targeted the former Prime Minister while attacking Rahul.

“Your father was termed Mr Clean by his courtiers, but his life ended as bhrashtachari No. 1,” Modi said.

He claimed that Rahul had said in an interview that his only aim is to tarnish his image. “By hurling abuses, you cannot turn the 50 long years of Modi's tapasya (struggle) into dust,” the Prime Minister had said.

“By tarnishing my image and by making me look small, these people want to form an unstable and a weak government in the country,” he added.