Ghulam Nabi Azad having blurred vision: Modi hits back at Congress leader's 'Old India' remark

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit back at the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad over his comments mocking the BJP's 'New India' idea and asked whether he wanted the "old India" of scams and one which had supported "breaking up" India.

"Now they are slamming New India. Do they want old India back? Old India where cabinet decisions were torn in press meets, old India where Navy was used for personal trips, old India where numerous scams existed and old India which supported 'tukde tukde' gang?"," he said in his reply to the debate on the President's debate in the House.

On Monday, Azad took a jibe at the prime minister's "New India" vision saying "old India" had no hatred, anger and lynchings. He urged him to return to "Old India" where people of all religions live in peace.

Azad's remarks came in the backdrop of the alleged mob lynching of 22-year-old Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand after he was allegedly forced to recite "Jai Shri Ram" and "Jai Hanuman".

Modi said, "I think Azad sahab is having a blurred vision. Maybe he is seeing everything from political spectacles. Ghalib said something for such people 'ta umr Ghalib ye bhool karta raha dhool chehre pe thi,aaina saaf karta raha' (Throughout his life, Ghalib kept making this mistake again and again, the dust was on my face and I kept wiping the mirror).

Modi's comments drew a smile on Azad's face.

Invoking Sardar Patel, the Prime Minister asserted that if the former would have become the first Prime Minister of the country, then there would have been no issues in Jammu and Kashmir.

Accusing Congress of sidelining Sardar Patel, Modi said, "It is a known fact that if Sardar Patel was the first Prime Minister then we would not face the problems in Jammu and Kashmir. Sardar Patel was a true Congressman but his face appears only during Gujarat elections. He cannot be found in the entire country."

In an apparent reference to Congress President Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister asked the "party's senior leader" to pay tributes to him at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.

-ANI