'Obsessive-compulsive disorder': Congress slams Modi, Shah for Nehru criticism

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their criticism of India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru in their remarks in the Lok Sabha, saying they have no answers to their "present-day failures" and they choose to "divert, distract, distort, and defame".

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Yesterday in the Lok Sabha, both the HM and the PM once again showed that they suffer from what in medical language is called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) when it comes to Jawaharlal Nehru. It is possible that this will be on display in the Rajya Sabha too today." "They have NO answers to their present-day failures. They have NO answers to legitimate questions that are being raised on their policies and actions," he said.

Instead of engaging in meaningful debate, they divert, distract, distort, and defame, he said.

"The Home Minister claimed to be a historian of sorts. He is India's second greatest distorian. Top honours in this regard is reserved for the man qualified in Entire Poli(e)tical Science," Ramesh said.

Speaking during the discussion in Lok Sabha on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, Modi said the Congress government under Jawaharlal Nehru lost over 38,000 km of territory of Aksai Chin.

He slammed the Indus Waters Treaty agreement that the first prime minister signed with Pakistan as a "big blunder".

"Before asking why PoK has not been taken back yet, Congress must respond -- who let it go. India is still suffering the pain of mistakes committed by previous Congress governments, starting from Jawaharlal Nehru," Modi had said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Shah also hit out at Nehru when he intervened in the debate.

Shah said a blunder by the main opposition party led to the creation of Pakistan and claimed that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was the legacy of first prime minister Nehru.

"In 1948, our armed forces were at a decisive stage in Kashmir. Sardar Patel kept saying no, but (Jawaharlal) Nehru announced a unilateral ceasefire. If Pak-occupied Kashmir exists today, it is due to this unilateral ceasefire announced by Nehru. Jawaharlal Nehru is responsible for this," the home minister had said.

He had also claimed that Nehru ceded the geographical and strategic advantage India enjoyed, and offered 80 per cent of the Indus waters to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960.