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Updated: Mar 10, 2019 08:50 IST

Congress leader Vijayashanti Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging he was ruling like a dictator, making people fear “what bomb he will explode when”,an allusion to measures like demonetisation.

The veteran actress, who was speaking at a party meeting presided by AICC president Rahul Gandhi, said the coming Lok Sabha elections was essentially a battle between Narendra Modi and Gandhi.

Gandhi was fighting for the survival of democracy, while Modi has “ruled like a dictator” during his tenure in a way that killed democracy and troubled the people, the former MP said.

“He wants to rule like that in the next five years, but people will not give him that opportunity,”she said in Telugu.

“Everybody is scared about the BJP today... they are scared as to what bomb Modiji will explode when....Appearing like a terrorist,” she said.

“Instead of blessing the people, (he is) making people fear. This should not be aim of a Prime Minister.” On all issues, whether it be demonetisation, roll out of Goods and Services Tax, illegal money stashed in banks and the Pulwama terror attack, he was ‘scaring’ the people, she said.

Keeping this in mind, the people should vote carefully in the polls, Vijayshanti said.

She said a vote for the TRS would go to BJP as “Modi and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao are one.” Rao is extending support to the BJP as Modi had helped him win last years Assembly elections in Telangana, she claimed.

Vijayashanti, a popular south Indian actress of yesteryears, also hit out at the ruling TRS for ‘purchasing’ Congress MLAs in Telangana.

Three Congress MLAs -- Rega Kantha Rao (Pinapaka), Atram Sakku (Asifabad) and Chirumarthi Lingaiah (Narekal) have announced their decision to join the TRS.

While Kantha Rao and Atram Sakku made known their decisions on March 2, Lingaiah announced his decision Saturday.

(The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text, only the headline has been changed.)