I come from a normal family, don't have 'khandaan' to boast of: Nirmala Sitharaman to Rahul Gandhi

Jan 4 (AZINS) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a scathing attack on the Congress and its leadership for repeatedly interrupting her reply to the Lok Sabha on the Rafale deal. She demanded that the Congress apologise for calling her a liar and for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a thief. She said the party had done so out of the arrogance of its dynasties.

"When you want to speak, you want us to ask our members to sit down. When I was speaking and your members were shouting me down, did you ask your members to sit? I do not have a 'khandaan' to boast of, I come from a normal background," Nirmala said.

"Your members have called me a liar. My honour was insulted. Did you ask them to stand down when they did that? Your party has called the Prime Minister a thief. You have not even apologised for these remarks," said Nirmala.

"I come from a normal family. The Prime Minister comes from a humble background. We have had to fight my way through the system to be where we are today. I have my honour intact. The Prime Minister has his honour intact," she thundered during an exchange in the Lok Sabha on the Rafale deal.

She also specifically attacked Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for his behaviour in the Lok Sabha. "Have you apologised after you winked after hugging the Prime Minister in the House? This is not the way a House should run," she said.

Nirmala's scathing attack came at the end of her reply to the Lok Sabha on the Rafale deal, which lasted over two hours. She repeatedly accused the Congress leaders of not being interested in listening to her itemised response to all the allegations they had levelled.