<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who had said that though his party has just 44 members in the Lok Sabha, it will function like the Pandavas in Mahabharata, who overcame their numerical handicap to defeat the Kauravas.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Modi said, “The period of the Pandavas and the Kauravas is over but people still root for the Pandavas. But even Duryodhana (the eldest Kaurava brother) said he knew what was true and good, but it wasn’t in his nature to do it.” <br /><br />The prime minister said, “Similarly, you (the UPA) may have thought of good policies which we will be implementing soon. I don’t deny that...but Duryodhana also knew what was good... you knew it but didn’t do it.”<br /><br />Modi made the remark while responding to criticism from the Congress that his government is appropriating the UPA policies and has no original ideas of its own.<br /><br />Amid thumping of desks by Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Kharge had made the remark on Tuesday in response to BJP member Rajiv Pratap Rudy's comment that the Congress had been reduced to a regional party. <br /><br />Modi, however, sounded more conciliatory. “But what we should not forget is to be humble even in victory. Victory teaches us a lot. It teaches us humility. We should not be arrogant...We don’t want to move forward without you, I don’t want to move ahead on basis of numbers but on the basis of collective strength.”<br /><br />Modi also took a swipe at Congress leader Amarinder Singh who had described that almost all programmes of the new government were “old wine in a new bottle”.<br /><br />“Unko sharab yaad aana swabhavik hai (It is natural for him to remember liquor),” Modi said tongue-in-cheek in the Lok Sabha without taking the name of the Congress leader.<br /><br />Earlier in the day, Singh had described the BJP government’s agenda as “old wine in new bottle” while saying that almost all the issues raised were "the same programmes started by the Congress earlier which have been brought in now with new names.”</p>
<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who had said that though his party has just 44 members in the Lok Sabha, it will function like the Pandavas in Mahabharata, who overcame their numerical handicap to defeat the Kauravas.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Modi said, “The period of the Pandavas and the Kauravas is over but people still root for the Pandavas. But even Duryodhana (the eldest Kaurava brother) said he knew what was true and good, but it wasn’t in his nature to do it.” <br /><br />The prime minister said, “Similarly, you (the UPA) may have thought of good policies which we will be implementing soon. I don’t deny that...but Duryodhana also knew what was good... you knew it but didn’t do it.”<br /><br />Modi made the remark while responding to criticism from the Congress that his government is appropriating the UPA policies and has no original ideas of its own.<br /><br />Amid thumping of desks by Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Kharge had made the remark on Tuesday in response to BJP member Rajiv Pratap Rudy's comment that the Congress had been reduced to a regional party. <br /><br />Modi, however, sounded more conciliatory. “But what we should not forget is to be humble even in victory. Victory teaches us a lot. It teaches us humility. We should not be arrogant...We don’t want to move forward without you, I don’t want to move ahead on basis of numbers but on the basis of collective strength.”<br /><br />Modi also took a swipe at Congress leader Amarinder Singh who had described that almost all programmes of the new government were “old wine in a new bottle”.<br /><br />“Unko sharab yaad aana swabhavik hai (It is natural for him to remember liquor),” Modi said tongue-in-cheek in the Lok Sabha without taking the name of the Congress leader.<br /><br />Earlier in the day, Singh had described the BJP government’s agenda as “old wine in new bottle” while saying that almost all the issues raised were "the same programmes started by the Congress earlier which have been brought in now with new names.”</p>