Bengaluru, 23 October

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday claimed it was the Congress that gave India its democracy and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held office because of the party’s contribution.

He was responding to a question on Modi's remarks that the Congress had been desperately trying for several years to launch its leader Rahul Gandhi.

"Congress has a long history. Even the PM knows that without Congress this country wouldn't have seen democracy. This is a party which has given democracy. If at all he (Modi) is the PM today, it is due to the Congress Party's contribution to India's leadership and democracy," Shivakumar told reporters.

"One should not forget the root. If you forget the root, you will not get the fruit," he said.

Modi on Thursday had hit out at the opposition Congress, saying that while the world was searching for a "new order", some people were dreaming of "disorder" in India.