Narendra Modi launched a direct attack on Nitish Kumar at the rally billed by the BJP as the biggest ever in Bihar.
pulled no punches as he landed in Nitish Kumar's Patna, accusing the Bihar chief minister of "opportunism" for splitting with his party, the BJP, earlier this year. But he made no mention in a very long speech, of a series of blasts in the city today that left five people dead and over 70 injured.
In a tweet after the rally, he said, "Blasts in Patna are deeply saddening & unfortunate. Condolences with families of deceased & prayers with injured. I appeal for peace & calm."
Six of these blasts happened at the venue of his Hunkar rally, minutes before he arrived on stage.
(5 killed in blasts ahead of rally)
Mr Modi seemed unfazed as he ripped into Nitish Kumar saying, "When people ask me why the Bihar chief minister left us, I say the man who left JP (socialist leader Jai Prakash Narain) won't stay with the BJP." (
Highlights of his speech)
It was a "betrayal by the Janata Dal United," he said, not of the BJP but the "people of this country." The BJP's prime ministerial candidate alleged that Mr Kumar was "told by his sidekicks, 'align with the Congress...this is an opportunity to become the PM'."
The Gujarat chef minister also accused his political rival of "hypocrisy" as he recounted, "A year ago at a meeting called by the PM, the Bihar CM and I were at the same table. Food was being served but he wouldn't eat...I told him, don't worry. There are no cameras here so please eat."
At his first rally in Bihar, Mr Modi blended Bhojpuri with Maithili, two languages from the state. The crowd roared in approval.
(Watch: Crowd cheers as Modi addresses Patna rally in Bhojpuri) For the last many years the state was declared largely off-limits for him by Nitish Kumar, as he sought to distance himself from Mr Modi after the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, in which over a thousand people were killed, most of them Muslims. Mr Kumar depends heavily on Muslim support in Bihar.
In his broadside against him, Mr Modi also said today, "Our Muslim brothers in Bihar are so backward. In Gujarat, some of the fastest developing regions are Muslim dominated."
He even sought to appropriate Mr Kumar's pet agenda - special status for Bihar, promising, "It's a matter of 200 days now. Whether the Centre gives Bihar a special package or not, I'll pay back the people of Bihar for all the love they've given me, with interest."