The Congress party criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "political petty-fogging" in his speech in Parliament Thursday while delivering the motion of thanks on the President's address in Lok Sabha. Modi had pulled up the previous Congress-led UPA government for its failures and made several references to former Congress Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Friday Modi had been afflicted with a "disease" named "Rahul phobia."
"Prime Minister Modi seems to be in the grip of what I can describe as 'Rahul phobia'. It is an acute disease. It has now attained the size of an epidemic as far as the BJP and the Prime Minister are concerned," Singhvi said, according to Press Trust of India.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also hit out at PM Modi for what he said were personal attacks.
"I put forward four questions to the PM in Parliament. Though he didn't reply, he quoted former PMs, including my grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi," Gandhi said during a rally in Assam Friday, according to reports.
"Launch personal attacks at me as much you want and enjoy it but do answer my four questions. In my speech I had said nothing personal against Modi," he said.
Modi had attacked the Congress party and other Opposition parties of stalling work in Parliament, and had accused them of harbouring an "inferiority complex."
"It would be great if we can uphold parliamentary traditions to let the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha function peacefully and responsibly. These are not Narendra Modi's words. These are the words of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi," Modi had said.
