Cong-Mukt Bharat Mahatma's idea, not mine: Modi

Hitting out at the Congress' criticism of squeezing Opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cited Mahatma Gandhi to say that "Congress-Mukt Bharat" (Congrees free India) was not his idea, but that Gandhi's.

Congress MPs from Ghulam Nabi Azad to Anand Sharma, in their speeches during the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, had referred to Modi's and BJP chief Amit Shah's pet theme of Congress-Mukt Bharat and said this was not the way democracy should run.

Azad had said that what one needs now is the old Bharat, the Gandhi's India and not the new India what Modi promises.

Replying to the debate, Modi said there were objections to the 'New India' theme of his government. Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and even former president Pranab Mukherjee had talked about New India.

"They (Congress) are talking about Old India, that they want Old India, the Gandhi's India. I am also for that. Gandhi has said that once independence is achieved, Congress should be disbanded. Congress-Mukt Bharat is not Modi's but Gandhi's," Modi said to the thumping desks from the ruling party benches.

"You need the 'Emergency wala India', the 'Jail wala India' which the country was transformed to during that period. You need that India where the democracy, press were muzzled? Which India you want?" he said.