The altercation took place during a discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address
The BJP and the Congress clashed in Parliament on Monday over the issue of "sacrifices" made for the country during a discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address. Objecting the BJP's contention that development was taking place under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the Congress had "preserved democracy" due to which Mr Modi "could become the Prime Minister".
"If Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister despite his poor background, it is because we preserved democracy," said the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha.
"You are asking what happened in 60 years? If nothing had happened, you would not have been alive and Constitution would not have been protected," Mr Kharge added.
"When people were facing hunger, it was the Congress which gave them food," the senior leader further said and jibed that the BJP would even claim that Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution, was born during the Modi Government rule.
However, during the altercation, Mr Kharge seemed to have used a word, which was objected to by the BJP. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar requested Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to expunge the "unparliamentary" term.
"We condemn this. Lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives for the people. Congress is not the custodian of making sacrifices," Mr Kumar said and invoked their ideological influences Shyama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay.
Taking stock of the situation, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan decided to expunge the word uttered by Mr Kharge - a decision which was protested to by the Congress.
"At that time, it was a declared Emergency. Under you, there is an undeclared Emergency," claimed Mr Kharge, amidst the altercation between Congress and BJP MPs.
(with inputs from PTI)