New Delhi [India], June 11 (ANI): Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on Thursday criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over its performance during the past 12 years, asserting that the administration had focused more on publicity than governance.

Speaking to ANI on BJP's claims regarding PM Modi's tenure, Bhagat drew a comparison with a dialogue from the film 'Anand'.

'There was a dialogue in the film Anand: 'Life should be big, not long.' This Modi government is working on PR, not performance, is all I can say,' Bhagat said.

The Congress MP alleged that despite completing 12 years in office, the government had failed to address several pressing issues facing the country.

'This country wants development, but the Modi government has given division. And today, whether it's the NEET paper issue, the economic issue, foreign policy issues, inflation, employment, farmers... I believe in these 12 years, they have crippled democracy entirely and have only done marketing and branding. If you assess based on performance over 12 years, everyone will appear helpless and desperate,' he said.

Bhagat's remarks came as the BJP and NDA leaders continued to highlight Prime Minister Modi's governance record after he completed 4,399 days in office, surpassing the tenure record of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, for a democratically elected Prime Minister serving continuously after general elections.

Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the Modi government's record and described the legislative achievements of the past 12 years as historic.

In a video message, Rijiju said Parliament had taken several 'revolutionary decisions' under Modi's leadership, including the abrogation of Article 370, implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, labour reforms, the Triple Talaq law, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and the replacement of colonial-era criminal laws with new criminal codes.

Rijiju also highlighted the construction of the new Parliament building and the digitisation of parliamentary processes, saying these reforms had strengthened India's democratic institutions. (ANI)