Emergency, Sikh riots, Pandits' exodus happened because of Cong: PM Modi

New Delhi: In another scathing attack against the grand old Congress party and Gandhis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday claimed that Emergency, Sikh riots, and Kashmiri Pandits exodus wouldn't have happened if Congress wasn't there.

"Had Congress not been there, there would have been no massacre of Sikhs, Punjab would not have burnt in flames of terrorism for years, Kashmiri Pandits need not have left Kashmir. Had Congress not been there, there would have been no incident of daughters being thrown in 'tandoor'," PM Modi said.

PM Modi was replying to a Motion of Thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind's address in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

He argued that India's democracy is facing the biggest threat from family-run parties and suggested changing the name of the Indian National Congress to Federation of Congress.

He further claimed that the people of the country had to wait for many years to get basic facilities like water, power and roads because of the Congress.

As the opposition party, too, the Congress is creating hurdles in the country's development, he alleged.

"The Congress's problem is it has never thought beyond its dynasty. The biggest threats to democracy are dynastic parties. And when a family becomes paramount, then the first casualty is talent," PM Modi said.

"People wonder what if there had been no Congress. They are stuck in India is Indira, Indira is India," the PM said, referring to a Congress phrase for one of its iconic leaders, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He said Mahatma Gandhi wanted the Congress to be scrapped. "This was Mahatma Gandhi's wish - he knew what would happen if they remained and said destroy this. If Gandhi's wishes had been followed, India would have been free from nepotism," he remarked.

Hitting back at the Congress for accusing him of destroying federalism, the Prime Minister said the party had a history of dismissing state governments. "They believed to discredit, destabilise, dismiss."

He also commented that Congress "is trapped in the ideology of urban naxals".

"That's why their mentality is destructive. Urban naxals took advantage of the Congress and took over their minds."

Earlier on Monday, the PM had called the grand old party the "leader of tukde- tukde gang" and accusing it of sowing the seeds of separatism by attempting to incite regional passions.

Without naming Rahul Gandhi, who was absent, the PM questioned the Congress MP's remarks on India being a "Union of States" and the word "nation not being mentioned" in the Constitution.