'Credibility' of Manmohan Singh was abused by Gandhi family to promote corruption: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

BJP said on Thursday that Congress was using Manmohan Singh as a "useful, expendable" outsider likes many top leaders outside the Gandhi family.

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Delhi: Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's jibe at Manmohan Singh, BJP said on Thursday that Congress was using the former PM as a "useful, expendable" outsider likes many top leaders outside the Gandhi family.

Addressing the press, BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that there was nothing wrong in PM Modi's barb in the Rajya Sabha that Singh knew the art of taking bath wearing raincoat as he remained untainted despite all the scams in his government.

During the debate on the Motion of Thanks to President's address yesterday in Rajya Sabha, PM had said that one should learn the art of "bathing with a raincoat on" from Singh as there was not a single taint on him despite so many scams having taken place during his regime.

"Now the PM is responding to it. Why are they (Congress) so troubled with this? Fun, pun, repartee and exchange of mild or strong words are a part of parliamentary convention. I suspect that words like organised loot and legalised plunder are alien to the vocabulary of Dr Manmohan Singh and he was asked to use them," and added, "Congress leaders have made remarks like “Maut Ke Saudagar” and “Khoon Ki Dalali”," Prasad said.

"The real tragedy of Congress is that it is not a party of ideologies. Devotion for dynasty has become the only benchmark for Congress leaders. Congress today has two types of leaders. One who belong to family and are beyond criticim.Two who r used for political convenience and then sidelined. How did Congress treat former PMs - Lal Bhahadur Shastri, Charan Singh, VP Singh, Chandrashekhar and IK Gujaral, who did not belong to the family?," he asked.

"Who were the forces that did not allow the dead body of former PM Narsimha Rao to enter Congress office in Delhi? Why was he insulted? Rahul Gandhi (Congress vice president) had torn the ordinance of Manmohan Singh government by calling it nonsense. Wasn’t that an insult of the Prime Minister?" Prasad further asked.

Prasad said that Singh despite being the then PM could not save his "guru" PV Narasimha Rao from insult even in his death as the Gandhi family did not allow his body to be taken inside the Congress headquarters.

"He has his own utility. I feel pity for him. This is his tragedy," he said.

The Rao government accorded Bharat Ratna to Sardar Patel and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad in 1991 and 1992.

"Was this the reason for the manner in which they treated Rao?" he asked.

It was Rao who politically empowered Singh, who served as Finance Minister under him, to go for major reforms.

The Union Minister maintained, "The so-called credibility of Dr Manmohan Singh was abused by the dynasty to promote corruption and crony capitalism. Do you remember the insult meted out to their own party President Sita Ram Kesari by Congress Party? What treatment did Congress give to Dr. Ambedkar? He passed away in 1956 but he was given Bharat Ratna in 1990. It is sad to see the entire Congress party of today does not think beyond family worship. Real problem of Congress is that they believe they have divine right to rule the country directly or indirectly by the family."

Prasad listed out several alleged scams that happened under the UPA government to target Singh, saying he maintained silence then and was using terms like "organised loot and legalised plunder" to attack demonetisation.

Claiming that PM Modi set an "example in humility" by noting contributions of former prime ministers in his August 15 speech from the Red Fort, Prasad said he showed his "big heart" by never launching a witch-hunt despite the "conspiracies" hatched against him when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, Congress and BJP were earlier today locked in fiery exchanges inside and outside Parliament over PM's "raincoat" jibe at his predecessor with the main Opposition party joined by others pressing him to apologise for the "insulting" remark.

BJP on its part said Congress had no moral right to preach or give sermons to others and instead demanded it apologise to Parliament and the PM for calling him names.

Congress and other Opposition parties forced adjournment of Rajya Sabha twice demanding an apology from Modi over his remarks "insulting" his precedessors even as Rahul told a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh that PM Modi had lowered the dignity of his office.

Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said the issue regarding Modi's remarks was a closed chapter as far as the Chair is concerned. "I cannot reopen a discussion which is concluded. There are so many other ways of raising (your concerns)," he said.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram while initiating the discussion on the 2017-18 General Budget in Rajya Sabha criticised PM Modi over the words he chose to attack his predecessor, saying he should remember that the chair he sat on was used by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and even Atal Bihari Vajpayee and hence he should use right language.

Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu hit out at Congress for obstructing proceedings in both Houses, and said the Opposition party had no moral right to preach or give sermons to others and demanded that it apologise to Parliament and the prime minister for calling him names.

Naidu told reporters that the Opposition, particularly Congress, should tender an apology for obstructing Parliament and for making uncharitable remarks against the PM, "not only now, but also earlier".

He said the Congress leaders called PM Modi names umpteen number of times, using all "absurd and cheap words".

"Let them not teach or preach 'pravachan' (sermons) to others," he said.

(With PTI inputs)