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Updated: Jun 25, 2019 20:48 IST

Congress leaders termed PM Modi’s speech invoking former PM Jawaharlal Nehru during the motion of thanks - a sign of success since the Prime Minister used to be ‘reluctant to quote a Congress leader’, said party’s leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

“I think that our argument against the government has at least been replied to by the PM. I think we’ve succeeded; at least PM who used to remain reluctant to quote any Congress leaders, today quoted Nehru Ji in his speech.” Adhir R Chowdhury pointed out a silver lining to an all out attack on the Congress by Prime Minister.

Prime Minister did quote former PM Nehru but only to remind the Congress led opposition that petty politics needed to be set aside for meeting people’s aspirations and achieving greatness for the country and that contributions from all worthy leaders should be recognized irrespective of their caste, religion, party or family affiliations.

“India has shown to the world that duties take precedence over rights. Rights flow out of duties. Can we take this though forward articulated by a great man,” Prime Minister Modi said quoting an extract of the speech made by former PM Nehru in 1951, just at the release of the Congress manifesto for first Lok Sabha polls.

Congress’ alleged obsession-- to project only certain leaders’ contributions above all other Congress leaders’--was the one of the main themes PM stuck to today.

Also read | ‘Thus far and no further’: PM Modi’s sharp warning to Congress in Lok Sabha

“There are some who feel only a handful contributed to national development. They only want to hear those few names and ignore others. You won’t get anything (credit) if you are not part of a family…But we think differently … Which party did Pranab da belongs to doesn’t matter to us, what matters is his contribution to the country,” said Prime Minister

PM also added that the Congress rarely gave any credit to former prime ministers Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.

The Congress in its response insisted that the Prime Minister had “in his own reply disappointed the people… by not taking up issues concerning the people, right from Agriculture to Industry to Unemployment and last but not the least Bihar’s encephalitis situation where hundreds of children have lost their lives.

In a statement, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that the PM had used “old evading tactics - to hoodwink the common people, as if he was still in election mode.”

Congress’ Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor echoed Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury while dismissing Prime Minister’s criticism.

“Mr Modi whose party & he himself has rarely given credit to the Congress, today, chose to say that we aren’t giving credit to some people, the truth is that I don’t believe that’s an entirely accurate criticism, Tharoor was reported telling journalists by ANI outside the Parliament.

Also read | ‘This is not Emergency that we throw anyone in jail’: PM Modi’s top 10 quotes in Lok Sabha