NEW DELHI: Treasury and opposition members nearly came to blows in Lok Sabha on Friday when Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan condemned in "no uncertain words" the "outlandish" remarks made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During Question Hour, when Gandhi asked a question related to the establishment of medical colleges, Vardhan said before giving the answer, he would like to make a statement on the Congress leader's recent comment on the prime minister.
Vardhan said he "condemns in no uncertain words" the "outlandish" remarks of Gandhi.
Speaker Om Birla asked the minister to stick to his answer.
As Vardhan continued reading out the written statement, Congress MPs came to the Well strongly protesting against the minister's stand.
One of the Congress members from Tamil Nadu, Manicka Tagore, came to the treasury benches and attempted to aggressively reach Vardhan, who was sitting in the second row.
Immediately, BJP member from Uttar Pradesh, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh held Tagore by his arm to prevent him from reaching the union minister.
Congress MP from Kerala Hibi Eden tried to intervene.
Several MPs from both sides and union ministers, including Smriti Irani prevented them from coming to blows.
The speaker immediately adjourned the House till 2 pm.
On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi, during his public rally in Delhi attacked PM Modi over the issue of providing employment to the youth and said that the country cannot progress without employment.
"These speeches that Narendra Modi is giving right now, six months later, he won’t be able to step out of his house. The youth of India will hit him so hard that it will make him realise that without giving the youth employment, this country cannot progress (Ye jo Narendra Modi bhashan de raha hai, 6 mahine baad ye ghar se bahar nahi nikal payega. Hindustan ke yuva isko aisa danda marenge, isko samjha denge ki Hindustan ke yuva ko rozgar diye bina ye desh aage nahi badh sakta)," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
PM Modi, on Thursday, replied to Rahul comment and said that he has now become 'gaali proof'.
During his reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Modi said that, "I have become 'gaali-proof' now."
Without mentioning Rahul, Modi said, "yesterday a leader said that in next six months, people will hit me rods. I just want to say that I'm thankful that you have given me six months. Now, I will increase the number of Surya Namaskars to make my body fit for the blows.”
He also said that, “the kind of abuses I face every day, I have become 'gaali-proof now.'
When Rahul Gandhi got up from his seat and questioned Modi on the issue of unemployment, Modi said he was waiting for the Congress leader's reaction but it took him 30-40 minutes.
"I have been speaking for 30-40 minutes but it took this long for the current to reach. Many tube lights are like this," Modi said prompting ruling NDA members to burst into a laugh.
Modi, who was in a witty mood, took several digs at Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for frequently rising from his seat and interrupting him, saying that he is publicising 'Fit India' campaign of his government in Parliament.
Responding to Chowdhury on the issue unemployment, Modi said he will resolve unemployment in the country but not his and of his party's.
As soon as Prime Minister Modi entered the Lok Sabha premises he was welcomed by the BJP members by raising slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' to which Congress responded by 'Mahatama Gandhi Zindabad' and 'Mahatama Gandhi Amar Rahe'.
Responding to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's criticism of the government, Modi suggested that Tharoor should have some soft corner for Kashmir, after all he was "son-in-law" of the region, referring to his late wife Sunanda Pushkar.
Rahul also criticised Modi on Thursday after the Prime Minister replied to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in Lok Sabha.
He said both the prime minister and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have given long speeches in Parliament but have failed to reply on providing employment to youth.
"All youngsters of this country want that after studies -- school, college university -- they get employment. We asked the prime minister repeatedly that you have given a one and a half-hour speech and if for two minutes you can tell the youth about employment and what your government has done about it," he said.
"Youngsters saw, that the PM could not give a reply," the former Congress president said while speaking to reporters outside Parliament.
The government earlier used to talk about the economy, Make in India, USD 5 trillion, but the prime minister now does not talk about the biggest issue facing the country and is distracting the people by talking about other things, ranging from the Congress and Nehru to Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"His (Modi's) style is of distracting the country," he said.
"Talk about the main issue prime minister ji. Tell the youth what you are doing about jobs. His style is to distract the country. He had said two crore jobs will be given to youngsters, but five and a half years have passed. Last year 1 crore youth lost jobs, he is unable to say a word," Gandhi said.