Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cited a comment by Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee to take a potshot at the electoral prospects of the Congress in the coming general elections.

Without taking Mamata’s name, Modi said the “message has come from Bengal” that the Congress would not cross the tally of 40 in the next Lok Sabha. He was speaking on the motion of thanks to the President’s speech to both Houses.

Perhaps irked by the presence of the CPM on Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo caravan in Bengal last week, Mamata had said the Congress would not get 40 seats. She had dared the Congress to beat the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

“I have made a wish. A challenge that has come from West Bengal that the Congress cannot cross 40. I pray that you succeed in retaining 40… this party has become outdated in its thoughts,” Modi said.

Modi also taunted Rahul and said: “They (the Congress) have given a start-up to the Prince. But he is a non-starter.”

Earlier, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, had slammed the “Abki baar 400 paar” slogan of the BJP and criticised the Modi government for denying reservation to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by privatising public sector undertakings.

“I convey special thanks to (Mallikarjun) Khargeji. I was so pleased. Khargeji spoke for long. I was thinking how could he get so much freedom? Two special commanders who usually are present were absent that day. One thing was very pleasant as he blessed the NDA with 400 seats,” Modi said.

Kharge protested at this point. But Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar did not allow him to speak.

Modi said the Congress had come prepared to not listen to him but his voice cannot be suppressed because “it is a voice backed by the people”.

The Prime Minister responded to Kharge by alleging that it was the Congress that did not respect leaders from socially backward castes. He said the SC, ST and OBC people of Jammu and Kashmir were not getting the benefits of reservation because of Article 370. He also claimed that the number of PSUs in the country under his government had increased from 234 in 2014 to 254 now. He added that the Congress had “promoted a culture of devaluing India’s indigenous culture and continued with the colonial legacy”.

Congress members walked out of the Upper House at the end of Modi’s speech.