Under attack for his "fight against shakti" remark made at a rally in Mumbai, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday clarified that he was not talking about any religious power but the 'shakti' of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of twisting his words and said he was speaking about the power of which Modi was wearing the mask.
"Modi ji does not like my words, he always tries to change their meaning by twisting them in some way or the other because he knows that I have spoken a solemn truth.
"The 'shakti' (power) that I mentioned, Modi ji is the mask of that power and we are fighting against it. It is such a power that today it has captured India's voice, India's institutions, the CBI, I-T, ED, Election Commission, the media, Indian industry and the entire constitutional structure of India in its clutches," he said in post in Hindi on X.
Using the same 'shakti' (power), he alleged, Prime Minister Narendra Modi waives loans worth thousands of crores of Indian banks, while an Indian farmer commits suicide when he is unable to repay a loan of a few thousand rupees.
"The same 'shakti' (power) is given India's ports, India's airports, while India's youth is given the gift of 'Agniveer' that breaks their courage. While saluting the same power day and night, the country's media suppresses the truth.
"Narendra Modi ji, who is a slave of the same power, imposes GST on the poor of the country without controlling inflation and auctions the country's wealth to increase the strength of that power.
"I recognise that power and so does Narendra Modi ji. It is not any kind of religious power, it is the power of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood. That's why whenever I raise my voice against it, Modi ji and his machine of lies gets upset and enraged," Gandhi said.
At a rally in Mumbai, Gandhi commented that the "fight against Modi is not on a personal level since Modi is a 'mask' who works for a 'shakti' (power)".
Alleging that the INDIA bloc's manifesto talks about finishing 'shakti', Prime Minister Modi on Monday said the fight is between those who want to destroy 'shakti' and those who worship them.
Addressing a rally in Telangana, Modi said that for him, every mother and every daughter is a form of 'shakti' and that he worships them.
He said the nation dedicated 'Chandrayaan's' success to 'Shiv Shakti' and the opposition parties are talking of destroying 'shakti'.
"On Sunday in Mumbai, there was an INDI Alliance rally after the announcement of the schedule for elections. They announced their manifesto in the rally. In Mumbai's Shivaji Park, they said their fight was against 'Shakti'. For me, every mother, every daughter is a form of 'shakti'. Mothers and sisters, I worship you as 'shakti'. I am Bharat Maa's 'pujari',” he said.
"INDI Alliance in its manifesto announced to finish/destroy 'shakti'. I accept their challenge. I will sacrifice my life for the security of mothers and sisters," he further said.
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