"Rahul Gandhi Is Mahatma Gandhi Of Modern India": Congress MLA

Amid protests against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification, Congress MLA Amitesh Shukla termed the former Wayanad MP Gandhi as Mahatma Gandhi of modern India.

Mr Shukla, who won with the highest votes margin in the 2018 assembly elections, claimed several similarities between Mahatma Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

While talking to ANI, Mr Shukla said, "Rahul Gandhi is the Mahatma Gandhi of modern India. He has a lot of similarities with Mahatma Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi did Bharat Jodo Yatra whereas Mahatma Gandhi did the Dandi march back then."

He called Rahul Gandhi 'Rashtriya Putra' (son of the nation).

He added "I made this statement very responsibly. I belong to a family of freedom fighters. The things I have heard from my father (Shyama Charan Shukla, former chief minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh) as well as uncle (senior Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla) about Mahatma Gandhi, I feel there are several similarities between Mahatma Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi."

He further said that Mahatma Gandhi could become the first Prime Minister of India but he didn't. Similarly, Rahul Gandhi could become the PM in 2004 and 2008 but he did not. Like, Mahatma Gandhi marched several kilometres during the 'Dandi March', the former national president of the party also walked across the country during Bharat Jodo Yatra and interacted with people.

Like Mahatma Gandhi, who brought an end to the 'British Empire' with his weapon of truth, Rahul Gandhi also fearlessly speaks the truth, said Mr Shukla, elaborating that he (Rahul Gandhi) is speaking the truth about the Adani stocks issue along with statistics.

Reacting sharply to the statement of Mr Shukla, BJP MP Santosh Pandey said that Chhattisgarh Congress has become mentally and intellectually bankrupt.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)