Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Saturday sought to clarify Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks in Toronto in which he has blamed the erstwhile government for leaving a "mess" behind, saying the statement was meant only to assure industries of "hassle-free" environment in the country.

"Firstly, he (Modi) never said that mess happened in Congress' regime. What he was trying to convey was that industries will be free from hassles that they had once faced.

"It was also essential for him (Modi) to say this because unless you assure them, the country cannot move forward. They needed an assurance. If the PM had not said what he did, investors would not have got the assurance they required," Fadnavis told PTI.

While addressing a gathering at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto on Thursday, Modi, flanked by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, had said those who had to create a mess had done it and left and that he would clean it up. "Earlier, the country was known as 'scam-India'. We want it to be known as 'skilled-India'," he had said.

The remarks riled opposition Congress which said Modi was "maligning" his predecessor on foreign soil.

"Investors believe in the Government of India and not only in Modi government. The chair of PM is not permanent. Tomorrow, if somebody else occupies the chair and speaks against Modi will he realise his mistake? Modi's comments on the foreign soil are encouraging chief ministers to spend more time on talking about the previous government rather than doing some real development," said Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant.

Source: ZEE