India was bowled out in their second Innings for 42 runs in just 17 overs against England at Lord's in London on June 20, 1974 to record its lowest ever total in Test cricket history.
Following on 327 runs behind England in the second Test, India was blown away for just 42 runs.
The comparison was made during TV debates on the outcome of the 16th Lok Sabha elections in which the Congress was decimated and faced an unprecedented defeat at the hands of the BJP in a saffron surge led by Narendra Modi.
It was also pointed out that it is a "Summer of 42" for the Congress though there is no link with the popular English film by that name.
Summer of '42 is a 1971 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher.