New Delhi, Aug 1: A day after Amit Shah said the Congress lacked guts to implement the Assam Accord, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, saying the grand old party always kept country's interest as its foremost priority. Ahmed Patel said it was greed for power that forced the BJP to play politics of polarisation over Assam's NRC draft.

"Not guts but greed for power, driving them to polarise India over NRC. Rajivji championed Assam & Punjab accords knowing it will adversely affect party’s chances in polls. Earlier INC sacrificed its govt in J&K for peace

Legacy of Congress is to keep nation before party, this is guts," Patel tweeted on Wednesday. His tweet was in response to Shah's remark that the BJP had guts to implement the Assam Accord.

"You did not have the courage to implement it. We had the courage and we are doing it," Shah, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said in the Upper House. "For vote bank politics, how can you question the NRC procedure?" the BJP chief further asked. The opposition MPs loudly objected to Shah's remarks and came towards the Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, shouting slogans against the government and the BJP.

Shah later held a press conference and said the security of the country and its people is the top most priority and dared other parties to clear their stand on Bangladeshi infiltrators. Reminding the Congress that the NRC was their idea, he said, "The Assam Accord was signed by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on August 14, 1984. I want to ask the Congress: how can you raise questions about the NRC today?" Shah questioned.

Over 40 lakh people were excluded in the final draft list of the NRC released on Monday (July 30).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 01, 2018 12:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).