Kicking off his Telengana Campaign , Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the BJP  and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) are seeking to divide the nation on communal lines. Attacking both the parties , Rahul  Gandhi stopped short of calling them two sides of the same coin.

“Both the BJP and MIM share a common ideology and thinking of creating a communal divide in the country,” he said at a rally at the historic Charminar in Hyderabad as part of Rajiv Sadbhavana Yatra.

The Rajiv Sadbhavana Yatra was organised by the Congress party to commemorate former prime minister and Rahul’s father, Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to Charminar in 1990. After hoisting the party flag, Rahul flagged off the yatra to promote communal harmony.

Counting the historic contribution of his ancestors , The Congress president pointed out that Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had all strived to build a strong secular nation. “They never worked for a particular religion. Constitutionally, we are living in Hindustan, but all people are equal in this country, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. They have a right to live peacefully in this country,” he said.

Attacking Prime Minister Narandra Modi , Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister and his followers were spreading hatred among the people and were trying to divide the nation.

“Nobody is feeling safe and secure in this country, whether they are Dalits, tribals, Muslims or women. They are living with fear psychosis,” he said.

The Congress president did not spare the Owaisi led , MIM . Rahul alleged that the MIM was indirectly backing the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana. “In Parliament, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi supports the BJP. And in Telangana, the MIM supports the TRS. All the three parties are hand in gloves with one another,” he alleged.

The Congress party which is facing several challenges , is making a desperate bid to come to power in Telengana. The elections to the state are justa  few weeks away and the Congress President is hoping that after aving seen defections by several key state leaders, the prty will be able to make a mark