Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lashed out at the Congress saying that nearly Rs 4,50,000 crore would have disappeared in the last four and half years, had the Congress been in power. He targetted the Congress with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's famous remark: "Out of Re 1, only 15 paise reaches the masses".

Addressing the inaugural function of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas convention in Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, PM Modi said his government spent Rs 5,80,000 crore for the people of the country directly through various schemes.

"Remember, an ex-prime minister talking of corruption? He had said out of Re 1 from Delhi, only 15 paise reaches to the people and 85 paise disappears. The party that ruled the country for so many years had given the system to the country, a truth that was accepted by the then prime minister," PM Modi said without naming Gandhi.