Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday said in “New India” humans are scared of each other. Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, Azad claimed that unemployment was at its peak and heinous crime like rape of minors were abnormally on the rise.

“In ‘Old India’, there was no hatred, anger or lynching,” Azad said in Rajya Sabha. “‘New India’ is one where humans are enemies of each other. You won’t be scared of animals in a jungle, but you’ll be scared of humans in a colony. Give us an India where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians live for each other.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has often used “New India” in his political campaigns during the Lok Sabha elections, was also present during Azad’s address.

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The leader of the Opposition also criticised the BJP for defending those who glorified the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, however he did not take the name of BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur. “How is this possible and how someone can defend this?” he asked. “Though it doesn’t make any difference to us, this is a blot on the face of the ruling party which cannot be wiped out.”

Azad said a party may win the elections on divisive politics but the nation stands defeated. “Keep your New India to yourself but return our old India where there was a culture of love and...where there was no lynching and no hatred,” he said. “Where Hindu and Muslims used to feel the pain of each other.”

The Congress leader said that Jharkhand had become a lynching factory where Muslims and Dalits were being attacked or lynched regularly. Addressing Modi, he said that the Congress was with him in the fight for “Sabka saath sabka vikas”, but it was nowhere to be seen.

He also pushed for 50% reservation to women in Parliament as the crimes against women have risen. Azad also said that Congress’ attempts were thwarted the previous time even though the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha.