New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS): After Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar's jibe at the Congress over the functioning of the party, another NCP leader has now said that being the biggest and oldest opposition party in the country, the Congress must rise to the occasion and save the nation.

NCP leader Majeed Memon said, "Sharad Pawar has appropriately compared the present Congress party to landless zamindars who are power intoxicated. Being the oldest and largest opposition party, it must rise to the occasion to save the nation."

In a recent interview, Pawar had compared the Congress to the zamindars in the northern states, who continue to think that they are landlords and have the power to rule, but after the implementation of the Land Ceiling Act, they lost their huge lands making it difficult for them to even maintain their 'havelis'.

"Every morning, they get up looking at the land and boast that the land parcels used to be theirs. The Congress has a similar mindset. They should accept the reality," Pawar had said, pointing at the waning power of the Congress, the presence of which has been reduced to a handful of states.

He had also said that the Congress is the only party with pan-India presence to provide an alternative to the BJP, but it is failing to keep the opposition together.

Pawar's remarks evoked sharp criticism from the Congress, with the party's Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole claiming that the party will form the government in 2024. He also attacked Pawar for 'betraying' the Congress .