Narendra Modi spells out the 'ABCD of Congress's corruption'

Jaipur: Narendra Modi introduced a new political alphabet today with a dig at the Congress for a series of corruption scandals that have dogged it.

"A for Adarsh, B for Bofors, C for CWG and D for Damad Ka Karobaar (son-in-law's business)," said the BJP's star campaigner in Jaipur, the capital of election-bound Rajasthan. The last refers to allegations of malpractices in business against Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The Gujarat Chief Minister is in Jaipur to campaign for the elections in Congress-ruled Rajasthan due in November, and shared the stage with BJP president Rajnath Singh and Vasundhara Raje Scindia, who heads the party in the state.

"We made a mistake five years ago, we will correct that mistake of the last election," Mr Modi said today. In 2009, the BJP lost both the Assembly elections in Rajsathan and the general elections to the Congress. Mr Modi, who is believed to be just days from being named the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, is seen by many in his party as the man who can reverse those setbacks this time around.

Lakhs of people gathered for the rally, among them a group of Muslims rounded up by the BJP's minority wing. They were asked to attend Mr Modi's rally wearing skull caps and burqas. A woman named Razi admitted that usually, she does not wear the burqa but said today is a special occasion.

The Muslim supporters also said that they are aware they are likely to be paraded around Mr Modi for photo-ops. In July, the politician had accused the Congress of concealing its many infirmities and ineptitudes behind "a burqa of secularism."

Mr Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, repeatedly faces allegations that he did not do enough to stop the communal riots that mangled his state in 2002, leaving hundreds of Muslims dead. Those accusations have not been proven in court. In an interview earlier this year, Mr Modi said that he did everything he could to check the violence, and controversially appeared to compare the deaths to that of a puppy being run over.