The Congress on Thursday dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply in the Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address as an “election rally speech”, accusing him of avoiding questions, attacking opponents and resorting to political theatrics instead of engaging in a debate.The Prime Minister began his reply amid loud protests by Opposition parties, who raised slogans demanding that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha be allowed to speak. The Opposition later staged a walkout as the stand-off over the functioning of the Lower House continued to spill into the Rajya Sabha.Responding hours after Modi’s address, Rahul Gandhi said on X that the Prime Minister appeared rattled by questions and had chosen falsehoods over facts. In a brief post in Hindi, Gandhi suggested that the Prime Minister’s discomfort with scrutiny was evident in his response.Congress general secretary and in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh sharpened the attack, calling Modi’s speech a political performance rather than a parliamentary reply. He said the Prime Minister’s 97-minute address resembled a campaign speech, marked more by allegations and exaggeration than substance.According to Ramesh, the speech was packed with distortions, dramatic flourishes, insinuations and personal attacks, along with what he described as repeated false claims. He said the Prime Minister’s focus appeared to be on rhetoric and spectacle, not accountability.Ramesh also accused Modi of being overly self-focused and fixated on what he called “dialogue-baazi and demagoguery”, arguing that this tendency was fully visible during the address in the Upper House.During his speech, Modi asserted that India’s global standing had improved and claimed the world felt more confident about stability following India’s recent trade agreements with the European Union and the United States. He projected India as a reliable and trusted partner on the global stage.At the same time, the PM took repeated jibes at the Congress and the Gandhi family. He alleged that the Congress believed the post of Prime Minister was the preserve of a “royal family”, a charge the party has consistently rejected.The Congress said the Prime Minister had chosen to use the Rajya Sabha to score political points rather than respond to concerns raised by the Opposition.