'PM Modi thinks he knows more than God: Rahul Gandhi in the US

"We have a group of people in India who are absolutely convinced that they know everything. They think, maybe, they know more than God. Our Prime Minister is one such specimen," he said while addressing a gathering of the Indian diaspora in San Francisco in the United States, on Tuesday.

Attacking the PM, Rahul further said, "I think if you sat Modi ji down next to God, Modi ji will start explaining to God, how the 'universe' works. These all are ...But, this is what is going on."

"We have a group of people who think they understand everything. They can speak to scientist and explain science to them, they can speak to historians and explain history. They can explain 'warfare' to the Army. At the heart of it, is the 'mediocrity'. They actually don't understand anything," he added.

Citing what necessitated him to do the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', Rahul said, "All the instruments that were needed to do politics in India, they were controlled by the BJP-RSS. People are threatened, cases are put upon people, agencies are used. In some way it had become difficult to act politically. Therefore, we decided to walk from Kashmir to Kanyakumari."

The Yatra-led by the former party president which had started from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari in September last year, traversed through several states including Karnataka and concluded in Jammu and Kashmir in January. The party had said that was its "most decisive mass contact programme".

"Government tried everything to stop 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. They used all its strength to stop the Yatra. They used police, but nothing worked and the impact of the Yatra had increased," he said.

The biggest lesson that I have learnt from the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is, there is something to learn from everybody, he added.

"You cannot cut hatred with hatred. You can only cut hatred with love and affection. Indian people don't believe in hating each other. But, a small group of people who control the system are stoking the flames of hatred," Rahul said, attacking the ruling dispensation.

He added, "There are more people who believe in love and affection, more than hatred. We have to challenge it and fight it with affection."

In response to a question, the Congress leader said, "We are committed to the Women's Reservation Bill. We wanted to pass it in the last government (UPA), but some of our allies were not too happy with it. But, I am confident when we come to power(in 2024), we will pass the Bill."

He said involving women in the political system, businesses and running the country, are the way to give them power.