Bihar polls: Grand alliance slams PM Modi for "mediocre" speeches

Patna: Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attacking RJD, JD(U) and Congress at election rallies in Bihar over the past two days, the grand alliance on Monday charged him with running a "negative campaign" and termed his speeches "mediocre".

"One can safely say that the prime minister's speeches during election rallies in Bihar have been mediocre and even less. They lacked any substance when they could have enthused the voters to vote for the NDA," the JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Pavan Varma said here speaking on behalf of the alliance.

"The Prime Minister's speeches were negative, insulting, divisive, improper and distressing," he said and asked Modi's advisors to "Review the tone, tenor and substance of his addresses for improvement in future as he will be the face of the BJP-led coalition in the next general election too."

Varma, who was flanked by RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha and Congress leader Chandan Yadav at the grand alliance's routine press briefing, accused Modi and other NDA leaders with resorting to "cheap tactics" like raking up the beef issue, release of a video showing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar meeting a 'tantrik' (occultist), counter-attack on reservation issue ahead of every phase of the assembly polls to score brownie points against the secular alliance.

Modi did not mention his own meetings with a number of spiritual leaders, including the infamous Asaram Bapu, who is now incarcerated, he said and asked the prime minister to justify these.

"Elections will come and go ... It does not matter who comes to power and who does not," Varma said and regretted that the Prime Minister stooped low to denigrate his own constitutional office for votes in Bihar assembly polls.