"I don't need your certificate" - now, comes Gadkari snub for Rahul Gandhi

Hours after Congress President had lauded him for 'guts', senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has lashed out at Rahul Gandhi saying - "I don't need your certificate".

"Rahul Gandhi Ji, I don't need your certificate for my strength and courage, however, I am amused to see that even after being the President of a national party you have to resort to the twisted news in the media to attack our government," Mr Gadkari, a former BJP president himself, tweeted in Hindi.

Further slamming Mr Gandhi, the former BJP chief Gadkari - also considered close to RSS leadership - accused Congress party of harming farmer's interests.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making sincere efforts to help farmers come out of the situation your policy have pushed them into. You and some people have not able to stomach Modi as Prime Minister of India and so you all get a dream that constitutional institutions are being attacked," Mr Gadkari wrote.

Rahul Gandhi had tagged a media report on the minister's remark on Twitter and praised his 'courage' and came up with a list of three topics that he wanted Mr Gadkari to speak - and of course the Rafale deal was one of them.

Earlier, addressing workers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Mr Gadkari had said that those who cannot deliver at home, ?cannot manage the country?.

Mr Gadkari sought to clarify the real intent and context of his comments - which was interpreted as being targeted against Prime Minister Narendra Modi - "I meet many people who say we want to devote our lives for the BJP, for the country. I asked (one such person) what do you do, and who all are there in your family. He said I have closed my shop as it was not doing well... there is wife at home, children. I said (to him) first take care of your home, because one who cannot manage his home cannot manage the country".

The Congress President also desired that Mr Gadkari, often considered a rival to PM Modi, should also speak on agrarian issue and the supposed destruction of institutions.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari had also recently lauded Mr Gadkari for his remarks that "leaders who fail to fulfill promises get 'beaten up' by people".

In December, Gadkari had said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeat and failures.

The remarks are coming days after the BJP's loss in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls and were also seen as 'against' PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

In a series of tweets, Mr Gadkari said it is a 'success' tale for BJP that Rahul Gandhi has to look for 'excuses' (comments made by him and media reports) to attack the Modi government.

Tarnishing Rahul's claims on Rafale, the Union Minister said: "I can tell you with 'danke ki chot (all assertiveness at my command) that on Rafale, we worked in a transparent manner".

Mr Gadkari further said Prime Minister Modi will again return to office and also that "I hope you (Rahul Gandhi) will display maturity in your conduct".

"We have difference in DNA that we believe in democratic institutions," Mr Gadkari tweeted.