'I have killed Rahul Gandhi': Rahul Gandhi says during Bharat Jodo Yatra

"Rahul Gandhi is in your mind. I have killed him. He is not there. Not in my mind at all. He's gone. Gone," the Congress leader told journalists in Haryana on Sunday during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The response was made when he was asked by a journalist how the yatra had changed his image.

"The person you are looking at is not Rahul Gandhi. You can see him. You don't understand it...Read Hindu scriptures. Read about Shiv-ji (Lord Shiva), you will understand. Don't be shocked. Rahul Gandhi is in your head, not mine. He is in the BJP's head, not mine," Rahul Gandhi said.

Addressing the journalist who had asked him the question, he said: "Why are you looking so shocked? I have nothing to do with the image, I have no interest in image. You can assign me whatever image you want - good or bad."

Back in November, he had made similar comments suggesting that the campaign is not about him at all.

"I let go of Rahul Gandhi years ago. Rahul Gandhi is on your mind, not mine. Understand. Try and understand. (on hearing applause) See, someone is clapping. Do you understand? One person has understood. This is the philosophy of your country. Understand it, it will be good for you," he said.

A journalist had asked him to describe what perspective "Rahul Gandhi" was gaining from the people of India during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

At the time, the comments about "letting go of Rahul Gandhi" were seen by many to align with his refusal to return to the post of Congress president, which he quit in 2019 after back-to-back election defeats to the BJP.