Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the Congress had made “deliberate attempts” to belittle the contributions of some leaders in nation-building, just to glorify “one family”. The prime minister was speaking at a public meeting after launching the Mohanpura Irrigation Project in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh.

Modi said that the Congress was spreading “lies, confusion and pessimism” and was cut off from the ground reality, PTI reported. The prime minister claimed that the party which had ruled the country for the maximum number of years never trusted the people.

Modi added that when the Congress ruled Madhya Pradesh, was called a BIMARU state – or “sick” state –, but the Bharatiya Janata Party had ensured this tag was no longer used. “The Congress never saw this as an insult to the people of the state. The BJP has worked hard to remove this tag,” he said.

Modi paid rich tributes to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. “His vision inspires us even today and helps us come out of despondency,” the prime minister said. He claimed that as independent India’s first industries and supplies minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s government, Mookerjee had framed the country’s first industrial policy. “His vision was to impart skills to the youth and give them opportunity so that they become capable of serving the country. Programmes such as Startup India and Make in India are a reflection of his ideas,” the prime minister said.

Assembly elections are scheduled in Madhya Pradesh by the end of the year.