Rahul Gandhi targets RSS, Narendra Modi in in Himachal Pradesh

Sharpening his attack on RSS and Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi accused them of trying to usurp the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and recalled the Congress stalwart's description of RSS as "a venomous organisation" which could "finish" the country. (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar)

Launching the poll campaign of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh from this picturesque hill town, Rahul took a dig at the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate, saying it is an irony that a person who lived all his life with RSS ideology is now installing Sardar Patel's statue and it appears he has neither read the history nor the views of Patel. (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar)

The Congress Vice President quoted Sardar Patel’s views on RSS and said that Patel had described the RSS as "a venomous organisation which could finish the country." (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar)

Accusing the BJP of pursuing the politics of hatred to divide the people on communal, caste, creed and regional lines, Rahul told the rally at Police Stadium that BJP talks of Hinduism but acts against the spirit of Bhagwad Gita which preached love and brotherhood. (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar)

Claiming that the UPA government had taken several steps like Right to Information (RTI) Act and Lokpal to curb corruption, he accused the opposition of blocking about a half-a-dozen bills in Parliament aimed at effectively checking corruption. (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar)

Holding the Opposition responsible for non-passage of Women's Reservation Bill, he said the Congress party is committed to women empowerment and it would not only provide reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State assemblies but also give adequate reservation to them in ministries and government departments. (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar

Before reaching the rally site, Rahul attended a meeting of ex-servicemen at Tanda near Dharamshala. Addressing the meeting, he termed the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as a "battle of thoughts", saying while the Congress stood for empowering the people, the opposition represented only the rich in the country. (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar)

Lauding the 10-year rule of UPA as period of growth, Rahul said that 15 crore people have been brought above poverty line and referred to passage of Acts relating to MNREGA, Food Security, RTI and Land Acquisition. (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar)

Maintaining that he did not believe in making tall promises, Rahul said that he only promises to make sincere efforts to solve the problems of the people. (IE Photo: Lalit Kumar)

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