Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh
Narendra Modi today unpacked a litany of accusations against his adversary, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who he described, as arrogant. The leaders have over several fractious years crafted the technique of political jousting without naming each other, a tradition Mr Modi displayed today.
At an election rally in Chhattisgarh, which votes for its next government this month, Mr Modi configured an image of Mr Kumar as an uncaring chief minister "whose body language suggested happiness" after last month's serial blasts in Patna which preceded a massive rally held by the BJP leader.
Mr Modi, who is the BJP's candidate for Prime Minister, was not harmed in those explosions. Six people were killed and 83 injured; the BJP has attributed the terror attack to the "gross criminal negligence" of Mr Kumar and his government.
In June, Mr Kumar pulled the trigger on a 17-year alliance with the BJP over its decision to give Mr Modi the starring role in its campaign for the national election. After the Gujarat riots of 2002 in which more than 1,000 people were killed, Mr kumar distanced himself from Mr Modi, describing him as a polarizing leader.
In Chhattisgarh, the BJP and chief minister Raman Singh are seeking a third consecutive term in power. Mr Modi used a Naxal attack in the state in May in which several Senior Congress leaders were killed to compare and contrast the Chhattisgarh chief minister's performance to that of Mr Kumar's.
"Dr Raman Singh met the victims, instituted an investigation to look into the shortcomings of the government." He added, "When the Bihar Chief Minister was questioned on the blasts, his arrogance was evident. See how an empathetic Chief Minister behaves and how an arrogant Chief Minister behaves."