FILE photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today responded sharply to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's 'suit-boot ki sarkar' barbs, which have consistently headlined his attacks on the government, saying "suit boot is definitely more acceptable than suitcase."In an interview to news agency ANI, the Prime Minister hit out at the Congress, saying, "After ruling for 60 years, the Congress has suddenly remembered the poor. People of this country have suffered and remained poor due to the shortsighted policies of the Congress."He also said, "Did the coal and spectrum scandals or the CWG fiasco benefit the poor? Everyone knows who were their beneficiaries - some chosen industrialists and contractors."The PM's remarks today come after a series of aggressive attacks by Mr Gandhi, who since his return in April from a two-month sabbatical, has led his Congress party in discrediting the government's ambitious land reform as "anti-poor" and "anti-farmer" and one favouring big industrialists that have seemingly inspired his 'suit-boot ki sarkar' jibes.Earlier this week, as the BJP celebrated it's government's one year in office at the Centre, the Congress No. 2 wished "the suit boot ki sarkar a happy birthday". At a public rally in Kerala on Tuesday, he also dredged up the five-month-old controversy over the name-striped suit that PM Modi wore during the visit of US president Barack Obama to India.BJP ministers have, in retaliation, asked if the "suit-boot" Mr Gandhi repeatedly references is an allusion to his brother-in-law, Robert Vadra, who allegedly got sweetheart land deals in Haryana for his real estate firm while the Congress was in power in the state.