Modi takes dig at Rahul, replies to Kharge's comment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a dig at Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, saying that the earthquake that shook Delhi on Monday night was the one that the Congress leader had earlier warned about.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier warned of an earthquake if he were to make revelations about the Prime Minister's personal involvement in a scam.

"Finally, the earthquake came... I was threatened about it long back," the Prime Minister said leading to an uproar in the opposition benches.

Modi was speaking during a reply to the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's address to the joint session of Parliament on January 31.

While some members from the Congress said the Prime Minister was being insensitive and not keeping the dignity of his post, Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee retorted: "The number of earthquakes have increased since you came to power."

The Prime Minister also replied to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge's Monday remark that Modi could become the Prime Minister only because the Congress had protected democracy for 70 years.

"The Congress said democracy is there because of them; they said they protected democracy and did a favour to the country. But everyone knows democracy has been sacrificed for a family," Modi said.

He referred to the Emergency imposed by the then Indira Gandhi government in 1975, in response to which the opposition members quipped that there was an "undeclared Emergency" at present.

"They (Congress) did not know the power of the people. It was because of the people that democracy was reinstated. It is because of the people that a poor mother's son could become the Prime Minister of India," Modi said.

As for Kharge's comments in the Lok Sabha on Monday that Congress members had laid down their lives for the country whereas none from the Bharatiya Janata Party had done so, the Prime Minister said: "Knowing history is important... whether we were there or our dogs were there... other people's dogs may have been there... we did not grow in the culture of dogs...."

Kharge's comment was subsequently ordered to be expunged by the chair.