Initiating the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the President’s address, Shah took on senior Congress leader P Chidambaram for his ‘pakoda’ jibe and said it was “better to sell pakodas than to beg”.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in a recent interview that a person selling pakodas was employed.

“Those selling pakodas are self-employed. Can you compare them with beggars,” he asked and pointed out that a “chaiwala’s (tea-seller) son has become the Prime Minister today.” In his over an hour-long speech, Shah said “I accept there is unemployment in the country. It is a problem. But you (Congress) have been ruling the country for so many years. We have been in power for eight years (including Vajpayee rule).”

He also lashed out at the Congress for its opposition to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and for dubbing it as ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’.