The BJP and opposition members on Monday traded barbs in Lok Sabha with Union minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi asking rivals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respect people's mandate while the Congress attributed the saffron party's win in the general elections to Modi being a "very big salesman".
Selected by the BJP to initiate the debate on the 'Motion of Thanks' to the President's speech to Parliament, Sarangi, the debutant MP from Odisha, showered praises on Modi and compared him to Swami Vivekanand, prompting Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to retort later that he should not compare "monk and monster".
Sarangi, known for his humble life style, also raised nationalism pitch during his nearly an hour-long speech and questioned if those who do not believe in Vande Mataram and raised slogans like 'Pakistan jindabad' and 'Afzal Guru zindabad' have any right to live in India.
He also asserted that "tukde-tukde" gang will not be tolerated.
He said criticising Modi is like "hitting one's head against the Himalayas" and took a dig at the opposition for allegedly seeking proof of Balakot air strike, saying if people "seek proof from their mother for addressing their fathers."
Crediting Congress for a slew of government schemes and initiatives like NREGA, RTI, Right to Education and Food Security Act, Chowdhury said, "you talk about hitting back at Pakistan with missiles. These missiles were built during the Congress tenure."
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