Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani are one and compared the damage done to the country by their “nexus” with the loot by the English East India Company.

“Narendra Modi aur Adani ek hain,” the Congress leader thundered amid wild cheering as the somnolent Congress plenary sprang to life during Rahul’s emotional and incisive speech that ripped into the BJP’s two main planks — nationalism and Modi’s image.

“You can’t ask a question about Adani in Parliament. My questions were expunged. But we will ask the same questions a thousand times. We won’t stop till the truth comes out. And I want to tell those who work in the Adani Group — this nexus is hurting the country. The freedom struggle was also against the East India Company. Even that company looted India’s wealth.”

Asserting that history is repeating itself, Rahul said: “Ye desh ke khilaf kaam ho raha hai (What’s happening is against the interests of the country). And the Congress will rise and fight against it.”

Adani, too, (like the East India Company) was grabbing everything — ports, airports, infrastructure, agro-business, apples, defence.

The Congress leader shredded Modi’s image by presenting him as Adani’s facilitator. As the audience erupted in applause, Rahul said: “I asked in Parliament how did Adani reach the second spot from 609th? Modi’s foreign policy is used to help him in Israel, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh… What’s the relationship you (Modi) have with Adani? Ye rishta kya hai? I showed a photo in which Modi is relaxing in Adani’s plane. I attack Adani, and the entire government, all ministers, start defending Adani. They say anybody attacking Adani is a traitor. Which means Adani is the greatest patriot?”

He continued: “The question is why have the RSS and the BJP jumped in to protect Adani? What’s so special in this Adani? The shell companies which are sending thousands of crores to India… who owns them? Whose money is coming? Adani works in the defence sector and the government of India doesn’t know who is investing in his companies? Why is an investigation not needed? What’s the problem in ordering a Joint Parliamentary Committee? It is after all related to defence, national security.”

Insisting that this question is too big to be ignored, Rahul said: “LIC has invested in the Adani Group. We see a photograph in which Adani is sitting with Modi and the SBI chairperson in Australia. Why is Modi sitting there? What has he to do between the State Bank and Adani? When I ask Modi what’s his relationship with Adani, he could have said there is no relationship. But there is a relationship.”

Aware that the BJP has monopolised the nationalism plank and wantonly brands its critics “anti-national”, the Congress leader tackled that issue as well, questioning the Modi government’s timidity on China and its understanding of Kashmir.

“Recently a minister (S Jaishankar) said in an interview that China is a bigger economy and hence India cannot pick a fight with them. When the British were ruling over us, wasn’t their economy much bigger than ours? Is the government suggesting they will fight only those forces which are weaker than India, not those who are stronger than us? This is called cowardice!” Rahul said.

Rahul rubbed the message in: “This is Savarkar ideology. Bow to anybody who is stronger than you. The minister is telling China that we can’t stand up to you. Is this nationalism? What kind of nationalism is this? Kamzor ko maaro, jo mazboot hai uske saamne jhuk jao. Mahatma Gandhi taught us Satyagraha. We are satyagrahi and the BJP is satta-grahi. They will do anything for power (satta); align with anybody, bow to anybody.”

The BJP will find it difficult to contest this, given its government’s contrasting approach towards China and the much-smaller Pakistan. While Prime Minister Modi kept talking about the “surgical strike” against Pakistan at every public meeting, even claiming that Pakistan was crying “Modi ne mara, Modi ne mara”, he has not even named China once although that country has encroached upon Indian territory and killed 20 Indian soldiers. The Modi government did not even allow a debate on China in Parliament. Rahul also tried to expose the flawed understanding of RSS nationalism in the context of Kashmir.

He said: “The Prime Minister said in Parliament that he too hoisted the Tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk. It is sad that India’s Prime Minister is not getting the message. Modi went to Lal Chowk with 10-15 BJP leaders and hoisted the national flag under security cover. But the Bharat Jodo Yatra ensured thousands of Kashmiris came out in the streets with the national flag.”

He explained the difference: “We infused the sentiment behind the Tricolour into the people of Kashmir. You snatched that feeling from the people of Kashmir. India’s most terrorist-affected district witnessed 30,000-40,000 people holding the Tricolour. We didn’t force anybody to hold the Tricolour. They did it on their own.”

Rahul added: “The CRPF people told me they had never seen such a sight. The youth of Kashmir told me, ‘You trusted us and opened your heart for us. We will reciprocate.’ India is an emotion, a thought process. It is about love, respect and inclusion. The Tricolour symbolises that feeling. We spread that feeling across the country through the Bharat Jodo Yatra. ”

Describing the Yatra as his “walking home”, he said the 4,000km walk was a humbling experience that washed away arrogance and ego. Rahul urged party president Mallikarjun Kharge to plan more such mass contact programmes for which the Congress team, including him, would give their blood and sweat.