BJP uses communal hatred to divert attention from real issues: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP on Saturday of using communal hatred as a weapon and spreading it across the country to divert the attention of people from real issues.

Addressing a big rally outside the Red Fort as the Congress's "Bharat Jodo Yatra" entered the national capital, Gandhi said he has not seen violence or hatred anywhere in the country while walking hundreds of kilometres from Kanyakumari to Delhi, but he sees it being spread on television all the time at the behest of the powers controlling the media.

The former Congress chief also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent thousands of crores of rupees to destroy his image, but he has shown the truth to the country in just a month.

Gandhi also thanked people for the love and support showered on him so far during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which entered its 108th day on Saturday, and said after his request made in Rajasthan, people have opened lakhs of shops to spread love across the country.

Hatred in the name of Hindu-Muslim is being spread through television 24x7 to divert the attention of people from the real issues, he alleged, stressing that this is the truth.

"After doing Hindu-Muslim 24 hours, they will hand over your money and sell all your ports, airports, roads and other assets to their crony friends.... They try to divert your attention all the time," he said.

"This is not a Narendra Modi government, it is the Ambani-Adani government," Gandhi alleged.

The Congress leader said he has traversed across the country, "but I have not seen violence, hatred anywhere. But I see it on television all the time."

"Thousands of crores are being given to big industrialists but not to common people. These are not policies, but weapons to destroy small businessmen, traders, farmers," he said.

Gandhi said the Bharat Jodo Yatra aims at uniting India and will spread awareness against price rise, unemployment, communal hatred and violence.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi were present during his speech outside the Red Fort.

The yatra will disseminate for a nine-day winter break and restart on January 3 for its onward journey to Jammu and Kashmir, after passing through Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.