The Congress on Thursday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he dubbed the INDIA bloc parties as "ghamandia", accusing him of using a government function to abuse the opposition.

"The PM is back to doing what he does best—insult. He repeated his abuse of INDIA parties as so-called Ghamandia parties," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X.

"Look, who’s talking! The man who uses the occasion of a government function to abuse the Opposition. Stooping to his level, one could easily say he heads the GA-NDA coalition—Gautam Adani’s NDA," the Congress leader alleged.

The Congress has been attacking the BJP over the Adani issue and accusing the prime minister of not initiating a probe against the Adani Group after allegations of irregularities and stock price manipulation cropped up in the wake of a US research report, a charge denied by the Adani group.

Prime Minister Modi on Thursday termed the opposition INDIA alliance as "ghamandia" (arrogant) and alleged that it wants to destroy Sanatan Dharma.

He was speaking after laying the foundation stone of a Rs 49,000 crore-worth petrochemicals complex at Bina refinery in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh along with 10 industrial projects in the state.

"The 'ghamandia' (INDIA) alliance (leaders) met in Mumbai recently. They neither have any policies or issues nor a leader. They have a hidden agenda of attacking Sanatan Dharma, which they want to destroy," he said.

His statement comes in the wake of remarks made by DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who said Sanatan Dharma is against social justice and that it should be eradicated. A Raja, another DMK leader, likened Sanatan Dharma to diseases such as leprosy.

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