Assembly elections: Rahul Gandhi slams BJP for 'subjugating state leaders'

Ahead of Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed BJP by alleging that the only relationship between leaders where you have to touch feet of the Central leadership.

Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Chennai's Shastri Nagar, "I saw a picture of an elected representative touching the feet of Amit Shah. The only relationship possible in BJP is where you have to touch the feet of the leader of BJP, bow down before Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Amit Shah."

Referring to the Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami bowing down before BJP's central leadership and touching PM Modi's feet.

"They don't understand any other relationship. We have a different idea. For us, a relationship that is not equal is a useless relationship. We see the Tamil people as our brothers and sisters. The only relationship we want is one of mutual respect, love and affection. This is the difference," Gandhi said.

"There are 2 ideologies in India. One idea says everybody will bow down in front of me. That is what the RSS, PM Modi and Amit Shah believe in. The one is of brotherhood, equality and mutual respect. That is what we believe in," the Congress leader said.

"My problem was that I could not bear to see the CM of Tamil Nadu of such great civilisation, values, tradition touching the feet and bowing in front of the RSS, PM Modi and Amit Shah. It made me angry that a leader with such a great history is bowing in front of the people. That's why I am here today. I want a relationship with the Tamil people that is equal and respectful. I want a government here that is run by the people of Tamil Nadu, not by the people of Delhi," he said.

"When I see the Prime Minister controlling Tamil Nadu CM, making him touch his feet silently, I'm not ready to accept it. Tamil Nadu CM doesn't want to bow in front of Amit Shah but he is forced to because of the corruption he has done," he said.

The assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2.

Polls will be held for 234 seats in the state with the Congress-DMK and BJP-AIADMK alliance being the major groups contesting against each other.