NEW DELHI, May 19: Congress party scion Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday denied that his mother Sonia Gandhi had refused to become prime minister of India for fear of life , but accused the rightwing Hindu revivalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of killing Mahatma Gandhi.

"The BJP people have abused my mother, they called my father (Rajiv) a thief, they killed Gandhiji and they have always attacked our family," the 33-year old first-time MP told reporters.

He showered praise on Sonia Gandhi's decision on Tuesday to withdraw her candidature as the next prime minister despite an overwhelming endorsement from allies, including those who had initially opposed her.

"But we are not scared of them. We feel sorry for them. The BJP is a joke on the country. Their agenda is to divide the country, and we are there to foil that," he said.

Mr Gandhi said he had seen the late Indira Gandhi, his grand mother going to prison and his father reviled over spurious charges. "They both took it in their stride. And I was proud of that. But never have I felt so proud as I do today because of what my mother did."

"I have not been as proud of anybody as I am of my mother today. Not because she is renouncing the prime ministership, but because of her resolve to continue the battle. I see a woman who takes on the whole establishment," he said.

Agencies add: Mr Rahul said his mother's critics were unable to fathom why a politician could act so selflessly as to reject India's top job and instead choose to work for the people.

"The problem here in our country is that politicians are viewed so low that everybody is cynical. But there are people in the world, and my mother is one of them, who can act in a way which is uncommon and rare," he added.