Nitish dubs Modi as autocrat, says the PM and Shah are rattled

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the leaders of secular alliance accusing it of pursuing regressive agenda with "18th century mindset," Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hit back dubbing Modi an "autocrat" and said he and BJP chief Amit Shah have been rattled by feedback of an imminent defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls.

"The people of Bihar have made Shah and the autocrat (Modi) realise the power of democratic forces in this election... they have been rattled by an imminent defeat," Kumar said in a tweet.

Addressing a series of election rallies, the Prime Minister today painted Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad as leaders with regressive agenda and with "18th century mindset," attacking the Bihar Chief Minister over the 'tantrik' controversy and said the RJD chief was leading the "Rashtriya Jadu Tona" party.

Kumar yesterday courted controversy as a video of his meeting with a 'tantrik' went viral in which the tantrik was heard asking the JD(U) leader why he had teamed up with Prasad.

Earlier in the day, Kumar attacked Modi for his alleged failure to deliver on his election promises and said the PM had made "tactical silence" a weapon of choice, which was in stark contrast to his "unmatched theatrics and rhetoric by using unsubstantiated facts."

"Modiji was always unmatched in theatrics, rhetoric and using unsubstantiated facts. Now tactical silence is his new weapon of choice," Kumar said in a series of tweets ahead of Modi's rallies in Bihar today.

"The saga continues, so let us brace ourselves for a repeat performance in Bihar," he said alluding to Modi's rhetorical skills.

Kumar questioned Modi for his silence on promises like bringing back black money from abroad, hike in MSP for farmers, youth employment, special status for Bihar among others.

He said the Prime Minister has conveniently forgotten all promises made during the general elections last year.

"No words on promises he made and then conveniently forgot - black money, farmer MSP, youth employment, special status for Bihar - the list goes on," the Chief Minister said.

The senior JD(U) leader also deprecated the PM, asking why he was keeping quiet on the killing of two Dalit siblings in Haryana and the Dadri lynching incident in Uttar Pradesh, besides the ever increasing prices of pulses and said it was baffling to note that someone (Modi) who did not miss an opportunity to "talk or tweet" on anything, has not spoken on these raging issues so far.

"For someone who doesn't miss an opportunity to talk or tweet by the minute on literally anything, it is baffling that Modiji doesn't speak a word on issues that exhort the collective conscience of the country or bother the common masses... No words on gruesome killing of Dalit children in Haryana, mob lynching in Dadri or skyrocketing prices of dal," Kumar had said.