Modi tears into Chidambaram, says hardwork not Harvard pays

While the NDA-led government had in 2004 ensured an over eight per cent grwoth rate, “as per your own statistics, Mr Recounting Minister, the GDP growth was 4.5 per cent in 2012-13,” Modi said.

Modi said when he took over the reins in Gujarat in 2001, the GDP growth rate was minus 4.8 per cent.

“We worked hard with our so-called limited knowledge of economics. See what we have achieved. India grew at an average 7.6 per cent between 2001 and 2011-12 while the growth rate for Gujarat was 10.1 per cent,” he said.

In fact, most states were better positioned in terms of debt and government liability than the Centre and so was the case with fiscal deficit, he said.

The central government's debt liability was Rs 50 lakh crore by March 2013, which was 50 per cent of the GDP, he claimed.

Hitting back at Congress President Sonia Gandhi for her “zeher ki kheti” remark, he said the UPA government was sowing the “seeds of communal poison” in Army by ordering a head-count based on religion.

He also slammed Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for his “ulloo” jibe and said he had insulted the people of Gujarat by calling them ‘fools'.