Congress Brought Disrepute To India During Its Rule, Says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lambasted the Congress for having brought "disrepute" to the country, while lauding Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for maintaining an "unblemished record". Addressing an election rally at Jamui, Modi refrained from mentioning Pakistan by name, but said that under the BJP-led NDA government, "India has started hitting back, reviving the ancient glory of the Magadha empire".

The PM also took an indirect jibe at the Aam Aadmi Party, which has struck an alliance with the Congress in Delhi. "All these people who used to accuse each other of corruption have now come together to hurl abuses at Modi," he said.

Modi claimed that when the Congress was in power, "terrorists from small countries struggling for wheat supplies could strike at will".

He made a mention of the "land for jobs scam" in which RJD president Lalu Prasad is named as an accused. "Our ally Nitish babu (Bihar CM) was also the railway minister. What an unblemished record he had," the prime minister said.

Modi, addressing his first public meeting in Bihar since the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls, also charged the RJD-Congress combine of "heaping scorn on Ram temple at Ayodhya" and "opposing the election of a tribal woman (Droupadi Murmu) as the President of the country".

Visibly pleased at the huge turnout, he said, "It seems the people of Bihar have decided to help the NDA win all 40 seats in the state, and achieve the 400-plus target in the country."