A Modi-Nitish battle looks better than a Modi-Rahul duel

The battle of speeches is getting intense. Within two days of

's hour-long speech at the Hunkaar Rally in Patna on Sunday which had seen much spilling of blood, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader

hit back at the former mercilessly, choosing to counter him point by point.

It was a routine counter-attack from Nitish Kumar but one gets a feeling that the Modi versus Nitish battle is going to be sharper than say a Modi versus Rahul Gandhi speech battle. Modi generally attacks speeches and acts of his political opponents and Nitish on Tuesday decided to replicate that very model. He picked pieces from Modi's speeches to substantiate his attack on the latter and his party. Should Rahul Gandhi take a leaf out of the Bihar CM's book the next time he takes over the microphone?

Visionwise, all these leaders are speaking in somewhat similar tones

However, during making the acerbic criticism of Modi, Nitish didn't forget to assert his version of development by stressing education, health and food. He ensured that he did not lag behind in the race for the most development-friendly leader and just like Modi and Gandhi, who have been presenting their own versions of development at rallies, staked a claim. He also, like Modi and Rahul who have been speaking on accommodative politics, emphasised on his idea to take India forward with all on board.

The routine criticism is nothing new for a line has to be drawn somewhere to differentiate between the so-called and 'secular' and 'communal' forces but more importantly, the two seasoned administrators spoke in a same language of accommodative politics at their rallies.

This is where the battle of two chief ministers has an edge over say, a potential duel between Modi and Rahul Gandhi, for they know which language best caters to the electorate. Gandhi, perhaps, needs to take a leaf out of the books of both Modi and Kumar on this aspect also but the problem is, a politically mature vocabulary comes only with experience and evolution.