Rahul Gandhi calls Modi 'coward' who runs away

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that the RSS was trying to capture the institutions of the country and his party's governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh will remove the organisation's loyalists from the system. He also launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a "coward" and challenging him to a debate on issues such as national security, Rafale and the economy.

"I know his (Modi) character after fighting him for five years. He is a coward. When someone stands up to him, he runs away," Gandhi said at the party's minority cell convention here. The Congress chief said fear was writ large on Modi's face. "He now knows you can't rule India by dividing people," he said in his speech in Hindi. "The image of Narendra Modi is finished," Gandhi declared.

He alleged that the RSS was attempting to capture institutions, from the judiciary to the Election Commission. "We have not merely formed governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh... we will ensure that RSS people put in institutions in these states are removed," he said.

The Congress chief also alleged that while China sent its army to Doklam, the prime minister flew to China and held a summit without an agenda. He had folded his hands in front of China, Gandhi alleged.

(With inputs from agencies.)