Congress wants to save family, we want to save country, says Narendra Modi after Parliament washout

New Delhi: With the monsoon session being a washout, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday directed NDA MPs to fan across the country to "expose" the Congress whose disruption of Parliament he equated with Emergency when the party wanted power to be concentrated in one family.

"We accept this undemocratic challenge by the Congress and will take it to the people. Our people will go to every nook and corner to expose the Congress, which is trying to stop the growth of the country.

"Congress party wants to save the family, while BJP wants to save the country as it is our principle," he said addressing a meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party.

The Prime Minister asked NDA MPs and Ministers to hold protests across the country, especially targeting constituencies represented by Congress and Left MPs, during a month-long campaign.

In his 25-minute speech, Modi reffirmed his government's commitment to the welfare of the poor and deprived sections, and said Congress was "rattled" by rapid development taking place. He asserted the opposition party's bid to stall the initiatives will not be allowed.

The Prime Minister also said the government was trying to resolve all pending disputes one after the other and highlighted the Naga peace accord and the land boundary pact with Bangladesh.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the Prime Minister recalled his days as a political worker during the JP Movement when Emergency was imposed in an attempt to concentrate power with one family, and claimed the current situation was akin to that.

The NDA Parliamentary Party also passed a resolution against the "deliberate and forcible" disruption of the monsoon session by Congress and called upon the people to see through "patently undemocratic" behaviour of the Congress.

Later, the NDA MPs took out a 'Save Democracy March' from Vijay Chowk to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament complex.

Read: Sonia Gandhi's action in House shows level of Congress frustration: Venkiah Naidu

The NDA MPs march, after days of bitter face off with Congress and other opposition parties in Parliament, was led by top Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari. The marchers included BJP patriarch L K Advani.

The MPs held placards that said "Save Democracy". The resolution against "deliberate and forcible" disruption of Parliament was moved by Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of Shiromani Akali Dal and adopted unanimously.

The party plans to take out rallies across the country, particularly targeting the constituencies of Congress and Left MPs to highlight their "obstructionist attitude" and "negative politics".

Remembering Emergency days, the Prime Minister said the Congress had displayed the same "anti-democracy trait" in Parliament in the last 15 days as it did then out of fear of losing power.

"The Prime Minister at NDA Parliamentary Party did mention that when he was a political worker during the JP movement and when Emergency was imposed there was a thought process that it was difficult for then Prime Minister to stay in power as they wanted power to stay with one family.

"He said today what attitude we see of Congress party in Parliament confirms they are completely desperate when they are out of power and the symptoms are there of a family rule, of a family dictatorship, and we are there to protect democracy and we will take very step to protect democracy and not promote a family," Rudy said, quoting the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister accused the opposition party of bringing politics to a new low by doing "undemocratic" things and said its "hatred" for BJP was evident. He also alleged that Congress was bent upon "killing democracy".

"That someone has shared democracy with such hatred has probably never been witnessed by the country so far," he was quoted as having told the MPs whom he asked to highlight the "negative attitude" of Congress.

Modi noted no chief minister boycotted meetings of Niti Aayog, which Congress chief ministers did for the first time after being asked by the party leadership.

The PM said while NDA was trying to strengthen the Country's federal structure and democracy, Congress was trying to weaken them by asking its CMs to boycott Niti Ayog meetings.

"The country is seeing the negative politics of the Congress party in opposing big endeavours of the government," Rudy said the Prime Minister told the NDA MPs.

Modi also said his government was dedicated to the poor, women, farmers, labourers, youth and all the deprived sections and will not let them down.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also spoke on the economic reforms agenda of the government, which Congress had tried to stall through disruptions in Parliament.