Meerut, Uttar Pradesh:
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party joined the Congress and the Samajwadi Party on Narendra Modi's list of targets at an election rally in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday.
"We should see Delhi as a global city. But in the last few days, the language and actions have brought disrepute, not only to the national capital but to the entire country... African women were ill-treated. Daughters from Manipur were ill-treated. Now a son from Arunachal Pradesh has been killed. This does not cover us with glory," the BJP's prime ministerial candidate said in a sharp attack on the month-old AAP government in Delhi.
He did not name Mr Kejriwal or his minister Somnath Bharti, who had led a midnight raid last month targeting Nigerian and Ugandan nationals residing in a south Delhi locality last month, but said the incident had brought "disgrace" to India globally.
Mr Modi said the death of the Arunachal student Nido Taniam after a fight in Delhi last week was a "shame," and held the Congress responsible too. "In Delhi, a student from Arunachal Pradesh was killed under the nose of Sonia Gandhi... It is shameful," he said.
He also took the Congress president on for her 'zeher ki kheti' (or seeds of poison) remark. "Sonia Gandhi had told Rahul that power is poison. Who has been in power for most of the time during the last 60 years? ...The Congress sows the seeds of poison," Mr Modi said.
Mrs Gandhi had said at a rally on Saturday, "I firmly believe that you will not allow those who sow the seeds of poison, who don't believe in secular credentials and who play the politics of instigating violence to succeed," alluding to Mr Modi, whom the ruling party accuses of being a divisive leader.
Mr Modi alleged it is the Congress that is "a divisive party."
Mr Modi's attack on AAP came two days after Mr Kejriwal announced that his year-old party will contest more than 350 seats in the general elections due by May. AAP is being seen as a potential spoiler in what the BJP sees as its best chance in years to wrest back power at the Centre.