After His Sharp Attack In Parliament, Congress Prescribes 3 Books To PM Modi

New Delhi: Led by party president Rahul Gandhi, the Congress responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's blistering attacks in parliament that also blamed Congress leaders for dividing the country for electoral gains with Partition.

Mr Gandhi, who was also the target of many barbs flung by PM Modi, hit back, wondered why the Prime Minister hadn't spoken a word about issues that touch the lives of people or the Rafale deal.

Mr Gandhi said PM Modi was free to criticise the Congress at a public meeting but in parliament, he needs to answer questions put to him. "Here, you have to answer to the country. You are not to make accusations here...," he said, adding that PM Modi's continued silence on the deal to buy Rafale fighter jets confirmed their suspicions that there was something wrong.

The Congress president kept the attacks coming on Twitter too, accusing PM Modi of misleading the country, trying to cover up his failures and skipping issues that concern the public. "When will the PM break his silence, and speak on the Rafale deal," he said after PM Modi's stinging takedown of Congress leaders in parliament.

"Not a single day has passed when the country has not suffered due to the poison sowed by you," PM Modi had told the Lok Sabha earlier in the day. Had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been the first Prime Minister, a part of Kashmir would not have been under control of Pakistan, he said.

The attacks from the Congress had come soon after.

"That is his history... he has a perverted history," former law minister M Veerappa Moily said, advising PM Modi to brush up on his history.

"The right thing is to read Discovery of India of (Jawaharlal) Nehru, Glimpses of (World) History and also, My Experiments of Truth. We prescribe those books to PM Modi," Mr Moily said.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said Prime Minister Modi might be a terrific orator "but this speech is a farrago of misrepresentations and half-truth".