'You are 50, loneliness must be bothering you': Asaduddin Owaisi hits back at Rahul Gandhi

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for saying the former was a friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi last week said PM Modi had two friends - Owaisi and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Owaisi responded to Gandhi, saying he should think before he speaks. "Think before you speak, Rahul Gandhi. You have crossed 50. Loneliness must be bothering you. It's your decision. We don’t want to interfere in anyone’s life. We don't disturb anyone, but if someone teases us, we don't spare them," the AIMIM chief said.

Owaisi also accused the Congress of helping the BJP in some constituencies like Goshamahal, where the saffron party has fielded T Raja Singh. 

On Saturday, the former Congress chief, while addressing public meetings in Telangana, described the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government as corrupt, and said the party along with the BJP and AIMIM are all one. 

"Modiji ke hai do yaar, Owaisi aur KCR (PM Modi has two friends - Owaisi and Telangana chief minister and BRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao)," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader further said: "KCR wants Modi to be Prime Minister and Modi wants KCR to be Chief Minister." He said the Congress party aims to first defeat BRS in Telangana and then the BJP at the Centre. He claimed that the grand old party would win the forthcoming Telangana assembly elections with an overwhelming majority.

Telangana is expected to see the three-way contest, with BRS, Congress, and the BJP. By some predictions, Congress is likely to put up a tough fight against the BRS, which was earlier seen as the most favoured. The BJP, which had gained ground in the southern state, is expected to be pushed to the third position as Congress has recovered some lost ground.

Telangana will vote on November 30 to elect members to its 119-member state assembly. The results will be announced on December 3.