New Delhi, Mar 20 (IANS): Ahead of the Parliament session on Monday, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his UK speech, and said that 'along with freedom comes a sense of responsibility'.

Speaking to the media this morning, Puri said, "If any individual goes outside the country he has the freedom to speak but along with that freedom comes what I call the need to have a sense of responsibility. We are the world's oldest democracy but Mr Gandhi goes to the UK and says Indian democracy is facing an attack on the basic structure."

He also reminded the Congress that it was under the Indira Gandhi regime that civil liberties were curbed. Puri questioned Rahul Gandhi's objective behind his statement and asked him to apologise.

Minister further said, "It was only the Indira Gandhi government that curbed civil liberties during the emergency. "His grandmother invoked Article 356 150 times to suspend and dismiss legitimately elected state governments."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while in his address in London recently, said, "Everybody knows and it's been in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack. I am an Opposition leader in India, we are navigating that (Opposition) space. The institutional framework which is required for a democratic Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation, moving around all are getting constrained. So, we are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy."