Is PM Modi God to give occasional darshan, asks Kharge

New Delhi, July 23: "Is prime minister a God that he should give us darshan" once in a while, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge remarked sending the members into peals of laughter on Wednesday.

The poser by Kharge was in response to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's dig at him over his remarks on Tuesday that Narendra Modi should show his face in Parliament at least once a week.

Swaraj said since he made the complaint on Tuesday, the prime minister was in the House during Question Hour today and "you had his darshan".

Pat came the reply from Kharge whether "the prime minister is God to give occassional darshan".

"The prime minister should show his face, at least, once in a week. I do not expect him to come here every day.

After the Budget Session, he did not come to the House," Kharge had said on Tuesday.

Swaraj earlier took a swipe at Kharge noting that Manmohan Singh had gone to five BRICS summits as prime minister but did not give any statement to Parliament even once.

Only once the external affairs minister had made a statement, she said, adding the new government was setting up a new tradition by giving a statement on the prime minister's visit to Brazil to participate in the sixth BRICS summit.

Kharge said though Swaraj was competent and articulate, the House would have liked the prime minister to make the statement.

On Congress leader's dig that the prime minister did not take her to the BRICS summit, Swaraj said if the Budget Session of Parliament was not on, then she would have gone with the prime minister to the summit.