Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi on Thursday said that former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi are martyrs, and while criticising them, this should be kept in mind.

Participating in a debate on the Budget in Lok Sabha, Trivedi said even though politicians may not agree with them on an ideological level, it should not be forgotten that they died for the country.

"We may have differences, we may disagree with the Emergency..." said Trivedi. "Somewhere down the line, the person criticising should also keep in mind we are referring to martyrs. How can we forget Rajiv Gandhi gave his life for the country... Indira Gandhi gave her life for this country...," he said.

Trivedi’s comments came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress party, criticising its past leaders including prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.