New Delhi: Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma on Wednesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for praising the NDA government during foreign trips.


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“I do not think Narendra Modi's state of mind is healthy. It is a cause of concern for India,” said Sharma.


Upsetting the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sharma said that the PM uses the phrase "for the first time this country..." a lot, which is not true at all.


“Is he saying this nation did not exist before May 16, 2014 (when the NDA government was elected)?”, asked Sharma.


Modi's remarks in foreign countries caused a 'national embarrassment', said Sharma, adding that the Prime Minister was not in a position to acknowledge the progress of the nation over the decades.


Lashing out at Modi's remark that "for the first time a PM is welcomed like this", Sharma said former PM Jawaharlal Nehru was welcomed personally by then US president.


In fact, when former PM Indira Gandhi went to Washington, the then US president came to the then Indian Ambassador's house to have a meal with her, said Sharma.


The Congress leader noted that however this time, US President Barack Obama did not even come to PM Modi's courtyard.


The Bharatiya Janata Party has condemned Congress leader Anand Sharma's remark, saying that such statements demean the nation's prestige.


"It is absolutely shocking that senior leaders like Anand Sharma use such words for the Prime Minister of the country. He is the Prime Minister of India, not just of the BJP. They demean the country's prestige by using such words," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told a news agency.