The Congress today claimed Rahul Gandhi's hug has come as a big "shock" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has exposed his politics of "hatred and violence".
The opposition party questioned why Modi could not gracefully accept such a gesture from his own countryman when he could accept being embraced by Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif.
The party's reaction came after the prime minister took a dig at Rahul Gandhi for asking him to stand up for a hug after walking across to his chair in the Lok Sabha during the debate on no-confidence motion yesterday, saying the Congress President appeared to be in a hurry to occupy his seat.
At a farmer's rally in Uttar Pradesh today, Modi said: "We kept asking the reasons for their no confidence, they failed to answer but clung to my neck."
Hitting out at Modi, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said, "Mr Prime Minister, if you can accept hugs from (former) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, why could you not show some grace to Rahul Gandhi against whom you hold perpetual grudges."
"The nation wants to know if the Prime Minister of this country is more affectionate and respectful towards Pakistan Prime Minister, ex-prime minister than his own countrymen and the president of India's oldest party," he said.
Shergill claimed Gandhi's gesture has shaken the BJP and has exposed its style of politics.
"We heard the Prime Minister giving tag lines speaking on the hug of Rahul Gandhi.... It looks like Rahul Gandhi's jhappi (hug) has given a big 'jhatka' (shock) to the Prime Minister. Rahul Gandhi's hug completely exposed the Narendra Modi politics of hatred and violence," he said.
The Congress president, he said, yesterday exposed and demolished the "castle of lies" of the Modi government with facts and figures during the Lok Sabha debate.
The Prime Minister, he contended, conveniently sidestepped the vital issues raised by Gandhi because he was "bereft and devoid" of any answers facts and statistics.
The Prime Minister's rebuttal "completely exposed his nervousness and also showed that he behaved like a student on the tough question papers set by Rahul Gandhi on behalf of the people of India. Mr Modi behaved like a classic student who in the exam of mathematics gave reply by writing fictional history just to pacify his own gallery," he said.
The proceedings in the House during the no-confidence debate are a clear indication that the "countdown of BJP has begun" and the party is now a "sinking ship" and the captain is clueless on how to save this ship, he claimed.
Shergill also attacked the government on the suspected lynching incident in Rajasthan's Alwar, alleging that "BJP is working overtime and aggressively to transform Hindustan into lynchistan".
Referring to a recent Supreme Court observation that the Centre should pass an anti-lynching legislation, he said that instead of waking up to the apex court's directive, the government is "actually now lynching the judgement and the Constitution of the country".
Targeting BJP-ruled Rajasthan government, he alleged the ministers there are behaving like lawyers of lynch mob and not protectors of the people residing in the state.
Akbar Khan, 28, was allegedly lynched in Alwar district by a group of people who accused him of smuggling cows, police said today.
Shergill claimed that cases of lynching across the country have risen by 97 per cent ever since the BJP formed the government at the centre.
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