New Delhi, June 10 -- As Prime Minister Narendra Modi became India's longest-serving elected prime minister today, Congress party used the occasion to draw a sharp contrast between his tenure and that of independent India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

In a strongly worded statement, the Congress accused Modi of attempting to erase Nehru's legacy and claimed that the milestone marked by the prime minister could not overshadow what it described as the foundational achievements of the Nehru era.

"Jawaharlal Nehru became Prime Minister of India on August 15, 1947 presiding over a stellar Cabinet - the likes of which have rarely been seen in the world. Over the next five years, modern India came into being, " Congress leader Jair...