RAHUL: PM WILL RUN AWAY LIKE NIRAV, MALLYA

In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed in Mumbai that the PM would run away from India, a la fugitives Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya. Mr Gandhi made the remark while interacting with party workers during his rally. Mr Gandhi also slammed BJP chief Amit Shah over his son Jay Shah's property.

During his speech, Mr Gandhi said, "Nirav Modi ran away with `34,000 crore; Vijay Mallya ran away with `8,000 crore; and Lalit Modi also." At this juncture, someone from the gathering loudly mentioned the Prime Minister. Reacting to the nudge, Mr Gandhi said, "Woh bhi bhaag jayega (he too will run away)".

"The BJP saved itself somehow in Gujarat. They lost in Karnataka. In the coming elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, they will not remain to be seen. And, in 2019, the Congress party and all opposition parties will unite to defeat them," Mr Gandhi said.