Pune:
An aggressive Narendra Modi used an hour-long speech in Pune to declare the battle for 2014 open, ripping into the ruling Congress for its economic policies and accusing it of "hiding behind a burqa (veil) of secularism every time it is in trouble."
Mr Modi was on Sunday addressing his first public rally after being elevated as the BJP's election campaign speech. He was also speaking just two days after a controversial interview to news agency Reuters where his analogy of a puppy when talking about the deaths in the 2002 Gujarat riots has drawn much flak from political rivals.
His party was called upon to do urgent damage control, but Mr Modi looked none the worse for wear, not as he spoke to a packed hall of students at Pune's Fergussen College earlier in the day and not as he addressed 20,000 people at the rally, where he threw a challenge at the Congress. "Compare NDA's six years and UPA's 10 years... ho jaye mukabla (Let there be a contest)," the Gujarat Chief Minister said.
In both places he slammed the Congress' vote-catcher, the Food Security Bill. He also took a jab at Congress number 2 Rahul Gandhi, when he said, "They let the poor remain poor...Their prince goes and spends the night in poverty-stricken homes. And he shows off the work of his ancestors."
And attacked the Prime Minister on a flagging economy and the falling rupee.
His "burqa of secularism" comment seemed a direct counter to the criticism he has drawn for his puppy analogy, but it was clearly not the last word said on that matter.
The Congress' Manish Tiwari said in a strongly-worded tweet this morning, "The Veil of Secularism is inclusive while wheels of communalism consider Libertarians as KUTTE KA Baccha - PUPPY to be crushed under their SUVs."
Mr Tiwari also tweeted, "IF KUTTE KA BACCHA- PUPPY comes under your car u hv 2options cuddle &treat it or again crush it What would u call a man who does the Latter.
Yesterday, BSP chief Mayawati too criticised Mr Modi, saying, "My party strongly condemns the examples given by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He should study the Constitution properly because it is based on secularism and not on Hindutva."