Rahul Gandhi dares PM Modi: Mock me but answer charges

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi stepped up his fight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by responding to Modi's Varanasi speech hours later during his own speech at Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh today. Rahul dared Modi to answer the corruption charges Rahul had levelled against him at a rally in Gujarat yesterday.

"Mock me as much as you can, but also respond to questions," Rahul said during his speech. Making fun of Rahul, Modi had said during his Varanasi speech that he was glad that a youth leader was finally learning to make speeches.

Rahul again alleged that Modi was paid bribe by the Sahara group. He read out different amounts of money allegedly paid to Modi from a few pieces of papers he waived at the crowd.

Rahul had earlier in day dared Modi on Twitter to answer what was in the "packets", referring to the alleged bribe. He was responding to Modi's swipe at him at Varanasi in which he said since 2009 no one knew what was in this packet [Rahul] and now at least we knew what was in it.

At Bahraich, Rahul also took pot-shots at Modi's vision of a cash-less, digital India. "Modi Ji ne yahan telephone pe bhashan dia tha. Line itni kharab thi kuch sunai nahi dia. Aise phone se paise transfer honge? (Modi had made a speech here on phone. The connection was so bad how can you transfer money on it?)" he said.