New Delhi, Feb 5: In an attack on the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his reply to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address, said on Monday that former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru considered Indians 'lazy' and 'less intelligent'.

Targeting the opposition, particularly the Congress party, the Prime Minister said that the country has suffered through the 'mindset' of the grand old party, which has never trusted the capabilities of the countrymen.

"The country has suffered through the mindset of the Congress party, which has never trusted the capability of the countrymen. It considered itself rulers and the public as lesser and inferior," PM Modi said.

Reading out a statement by former Prime Minister Nehru, PM Narendra Modi said, "Nehruji thought that Indians were lazy and less intelligent."

The Prime Minister further said that former PM Indira Gandhi's thoughts were 'no different' from that of Nehru's.

Referring to a statement by Indira Gandhi, he stated, "Looking at the people in Congress today, it seems that Indira ji could not assess the people of the country correctly but assessed Congress absolutely correctly.

About 60 speakers took part in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address in Lok Sabha. The budget session commenced on January 31 and will conclude on February 9.

In a veiled attack on the Gandhi family, PM Modi said, "The royal family of the Congress party thought this way about my countrymen. Even today, it reflects in their way of thinking."

Meanwhile, PM Modi also expressed confidence in his third straight victory in the Lok Sabha polls and asserted that the country will be the third-largest economy in the third term of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government.

On the basis of the experience of 10 years of governance, looking at today's strong economy and the rapid speed with which India is progressing today, I can confidently say that in our third term, India will be the third largest economic power. This is Modi's guarantee," the PM said. (ANI)

Read More National News

Argus English: Odisha's Top English News Platform | Latest Breaking News, Politics, Sports & Live TV