Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday fired fresh salvo at Congress and its vice-president Rahul Gandhi, saying the country has remained poor due to shortsighted policies of the party which ruled the nation for 60 years.

"People of this country have suffered and remained poor due to shortsighted policies of the Congress," the prime minister said.

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for his 'suit-boot' remark, Modi, in an interview to ANI, said: "Suit-boot is definitely more acceptable than suitcase. After ruling for 60 years, the Congress has suddenly remembered the poor."

Responding to a question over Congress's allegation of his government being pro-industrialist, the prime minister said, "You should ask them - if you were pro-poor, why does poverty still exist in India?"

"Those who gave away precious natural resources like coal and spectrum to their favourite industrialists have no right to say this," Modi said in an apparent reference to 2G and coal blocks allocation scams which allegedly took place during the previous Congress-led UPA regime.

 On a question concerning recent controversial statements made by some of BJP MPs and ministers targeting minorities, Modi recalled his slogan 'sab ka saath, sab ka vikas', and said his government will not tolerate violence against any community in the country.

"I have said this before and I say it again: any discrimination or violence against any community will not be tolerated. My position on this is very clear: sab ka saath, sab ka vikas. We stand for each of the 1.25 billion Indians regardless of caste or creed and we will work for the progress of each of them. Every faith in our country has equal rights; it is equal not only before the law but also before society," the PM said.

The statements from the prime minister come just hours after he, in an interview to a national daily, asked Congress to look for more important issues than to comment on his dressing style through statements like 'suit-boot sarkar'.

"Look at the opposition bankruptcy. They could not find one concrete issue to criticize the government in this one year. This is our most important success," Modi had said.