Rahul: Fight with Modi not personal

NEW DELHI: Congress V-P Rahul Gandhi on Saturday insisted his fight against Narendra Modi wasn’t personal and came down heavily on the BJP PM candidate’s Gujarat model, which he alleged only promotes a few industrialists. In only his second TV interview this poll season, Rahul told Headlines Today’s Javed Ansari, “I’m not interested in personal attacks… The fight (with Modi) has not become personal. Narendra Modi is a personality whose personal issues I’m not interested in. But he represents an ideology (that) is dangerous for India. My fight is against that ideology.” This came a day after he questioned Modi’s silence on his marital status.

Criticising the Gujarat model for “favouring two or three” industrialists while faltering on overall development, Rahul said in the interview, to be telecast again at 8pm Sunday, “In Gujarat, one man whose net worth 10 years ago was ` 3,000 crore is today worth ` 40,000 crore.” Asked if he was referring to Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, he refused to name names but continued, “Land the size of Vadodara was given to him for ` 300 crore. Coastline the length of Mumbai coast was given to him.”

“While admitting the BJP had marketi ng skills and t hat the UPA government was facing some antiincumbency, Rahul said the Congress-led combine “should get a majority”.

He also made it clear that if Congress MPs wanted him to be prime minister, he would not “back down from taking on the responsibility”.

Even as Modi and the BJP keep up their attack on Rahul over his brother- in - law Robert Vadra’s business and land deals, the Amethi MP said “maximum corruption takes place in land deals” but added that the UPA’s land acquisition bill would curb corruption.

Speaking extensively on the economic front, he said, “If we are tolerant and work with everyone, I guarantee that we will in the next 5-6 years leave China behind.”