New Delhi, March 3: The Congress today accused Narendra Modi of creating a "smokescreen" to conceal his failures after the Prime Minister ignored issues agitating the nation while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's joint address last month.

"True to his character, there was drama, smokescreen, boastful claims and making fun of political opponents," Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said. "He did not utter a word on the highly inflammatory agenda of his party, public threats to minorities, unrest on campuses, the plight of the economy, failure to create jobs and the poor response to manufacturing despite the Make in India hype."

Many senior Congress leaders felt the Prime Minister was relying on "sophistry" and "diversionary tricks".

Even those who had in the past privately admired Modi's oratorical skills said Modi had no substantive arguments to refute Rahul Gandhi's allegations yesterday during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's February 23 address to both Houses of Parliament.

The Congress vice-president had yesterday questioned Modi's foreign policy and silence on the JNU controversy.

The Congress leaders said Modi dug up flimsy issues to confuse people. "It's a pity he referred to Rahul tearing a piece of paper at an election rally to attack the Samajwadi Party," a young MP said.

At an election rally, Rahul had torn up a copy of the Samajwadi manifesto while accusing the Uttar Pradesh party of making hollow promises.

Rahul had also said that an ordinance protecting convicted politicians - passed by the then UPA government - should be torn up. Modi referred to this too during his reply today.

"He (Modi) didn't have the guts to explain his Pakistan detour, nationalism discourse, the Naga accord and the misdemeanours of his ministers," the MP added.

Rahul's aides didn't seem at all worried about the Prime Minister's jibes about the Congress vice-president's "immaturity", saying it was evident that the incisive criticism had hit where it hurts.

On Rahul's decision to junk the ordinance passed by the Manmohan Singh cabinet, his aides said the party vice-president had done nothing illegal or amoral and contended that Modi, too, should have intervened in the JNU row and the controversy over Hyderabad University scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide.

The party's official briefing pointed to the Prime Minister's silence on rising intolerance, especially the controversies regarding JNU and Rohith. "Modi should start behaving like the Prime Minister of the entire country," Sharma said. "He ignored the JNU and Hyderabad issues. His minister used untruths in Parliament to mislead the country. Another minister and his party leaders threatened minorities and exhorted people to take up arms to finish them. The Prime Minister's silence is deliberate and exposes his failure and betrayal."

The allusion was to a junior minister's comments a few days ago.

Sharma said the "doublespeak and double standards" were obvious. "They will say sabka saath, sabka vikas and then allow ministers and leaders to threaten minorities. His party people are spreading communal frenzy for cheap political gains... and there is no intervention by the Prime Minister. He only tries to divert the people's attention. What is the point of speaking if not a single issue raised by the Opposition is answered?"

Referring to the Prime Minister's barbs on the Bangladesh border agreement and disruption of Parliament, Sharma said: "We wish Modiji had dealt with issues with greater honesty. His party described the Bangladesh pact as anti-national and blocked it. He personally blocked the GST bill for years, his party paralysed Parliament for ten years. Out of 900 hours during the UPA, 500 hours were lost to disruptions. The Prime Minister should have done repentance instead of preaching."

Modi today said the Congress was not willing to support the border pact.

Sharma said it was "good" Modi had started reading what Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had said, after the Prime Minister invoked statements made by the three late leaders.

"He should read Nehru more and attain some ideological and political maturity to be able to govern a diverse country like India," Sharma said. "We wish he reads what Nehru said about the idea of India."