Daro mat, bhaago mat’: Modi's stinging jibe at 'Shehzada

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, hours after he was fielded from Raebareli Lok Sabha constituency, the seat vacated by former Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Addressing a huge public gathering in West Bengal's Bardhaman, PM Modi chose Rahul's own words to taunt him for "dropping" Amethi as his traditional constituency and "switching" to Raebareli seat. "Daro mat (Don't get afraid), bhaago mat (don't run away)," PM Modi said, in a sneering jibe at the Congress leader, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. He said that Congress' "Shehzada" is so scared that he ran away from Amethi to Raebareli and is now exploring opportunities there.

In a further stinging jibe at the Congress top brass, the Prime Minister said that the party's biggest leader is so frightened of contesting elections that she has opted out of Lok Sabha elections and found her way into Rajya Sabha via Rajasthan. He also claimed to have made a forecast for the same, earlier. "I had said earlier that Shehzada is facing defeat in Wayanad and soon after polling concludes there, he will start looking for third seat," he said.

"Even Amethi looked unsafe for him. His associates and loyalists were hopeful of him contesting from there but he got so scared that he abandoned it and moved to Raebareli," he further added.

"These people keep telling others - Daro mat. Today, I will also tell them, ji bhar kar kehta hoon. Daro mat, bhaago mat," PM Modi said taking a caustic jibe over Rahul's Raebareli move.

PM Modi also slammed the grand old party and INDIA bloc on several issues and said that the countrymen also understand now that these people are not fighting elections to win but just to divide the country.