New Delhi: Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde on Monday said that had B R Ambedkar not been there, India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru would have ended reservation.
Participating in the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's address, Shinde said the Congress had faced defeat in three elections on the trot but has not lost its arrogance.
Shinde also slammed the Congress for alleging that the NDA government was undermining the Constitution.
"Jawaharlal Nehru's descendants are talking about reservations and Constitution. Had Ambedkar not been there, Nehru would have ended reservation," Shinde, a three-term member from the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat, said.
Shinde, the leader of the Shiv Sena in Lok Sabha, said the message of the recent general elections was clear -- the Congress has to sit in the Opposition whether it contests alone or as part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.
"Rahul is so happy sitting in the Opposition that they feel they are in power. In 10 years, the Congress has been able to reach from 44 seats to 99," he said.
Shinde also urged the Congress to introspect the reasons for the stark reality of its electoral loss.
"Your numbers are less but the arrogance has increased. The Congress should introspect on the stark reality of electoral loss," he said.
Shinde accused the Congress of spreading fake narratives about the BJP undoing the Constitution.
"The I.N.D.I. Alliance said the BJP government will tear apart the Constitution. This is not the Manmohan Singh government, where Rahul tore apart the Ordinance of the government. This is our government, we work as per the Constitution," Shinde said.
The Shiv Sena and the NCP members of Parliament also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The newly-elected MPs from Maharashtra congratulated Prime Minister Modi on his third consecutive term in office and extended best wishes for his future endeavours.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister discussed development works in Maharashtra.
The delegation presented the Prime Minister with a statue of Vitthal Rakhumai.