Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar (PTI photo)

VARANASI: Hailing Rahul Gandhi 's recent speech in Berlin, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideologue RSS for trying to "divide the country and spread hatred among people".

Addressing the Indian diaspora at a function organised by the Indian Overseas Congress in Berlin on Thursday, Gandhi had said,"The BJP-RSS people are dividing our own people. They are spreading hatred in our own country. Our job is to bring the people together and take the country forward and we have shown how to do it".

The BJP had accused Rahul Gandhi of belittling India in his address at an event in Germany, alleging that the Congress president justified terrorism and "lied through his teeth" to attack the Modi government.

Babbar said the BJP could not digest the truth and it has caught fever which is why they (BJP) have taken an offensive stand over Gandhi's speech to hide their failure in tackling issues like "women safety, improving the Indian economy which is disrupted due to the demonetisation and faulty GST implementation, unemployment, farmers' distress among other issues.

He alleged that the "fake social media team of BJP was spreading lies" and Rahul Gandhi spoke truth in Berlin, which has irked the BJP.

He said the Congress will fight the next general election not to just win but to save the country from RSS and BJP and bring the nation again on the growth track, reviving the disrupt economy under the NDA rule.

"Several industries have been shutdown, people have been rendered jobless, medium and small class are facing huge problems to survive, borrowers are unable to repay their EMI (loans) due to the slowdown and the disruption in the economy," Babbar alleged.

Earlier today, Raj Babbar along with Rajya Sabha member M V Rajeev Gowda, chairman of AICC research department and Delhi Congress women's wing chief Sharmistha Mukherjee jointly inaugurated the 'Going for the Manthan' event of the party here to prepare for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Uttar Pradesh AICC Reseach department Coordinator Gaurav Kapoor said that the senior Congress leaders held discussion with the members of the research department who came from various other states and also along with the party leaders and workers.

Congress leader Mohammad Khan, former MLA Ajay Rai, who unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections against PM Modi from Varanasi and other party leader also attended the event along with the district unit chief Praja Nath Sharma.

Meanwhile, Kapoor also said that former Rai along with other party leaders also paid floral tributes on the 'Asthi Kalash' of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee here.

