Do not underestimate us: Congress warns BJP

Congress refrained from any attack on content of the President's speech but its leader in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge, objected to the BJP's political pitch: 'The BJP must remember that it got 31% votes. 61% voters opposed your ideology,' he said.

Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its political rhetoric, the Congress on Tuesday warned the Narendra Modi-led government not to underestimate its strength despite the party's reduced numbers (44 seats) in the Lok Sabha.

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The principal Opposition party refrained from any attack on content of the President's speech but its leader in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge, objected to the BJP's political pitch: "The BJP must remember that it got 31% votes. 61% voters opposed your ideology," he said.

Kharge wrapped up his speech saying, "Do not make the mistake of thinking the Congress is down. The Kauravas were 100 but it was Pandavas who ultimately won the battle."

Kharge's remarks came close on the heels of BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy's aggressive speech, initiating the discussion on President's speech.

Kharge didn't miss the first opportunity in the new Lok Sabha to list out the achievements of the Congress governments and reminded that the White Revolution in Gujarat to increase its dairy potentials was also a contribution of the Congress.

The Congress also adopted a cautious approach and said that it would wait to see how far Modi can fulfil the promises made in the President's address. "But the BJP government in Rajasthan, according to news reports, wants to scrap labour-friendly laws. This shows they are anti-poor," Kharge argued.