Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday claimed the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal will push India into darkness if voted to power. Modi, who addressed a rally in Buxar district in Bihar, claimed that the “BJP-led NDA dispensation could lead the nation towards light”.

“Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas [development for all] is our mantra and we strive to ensure security and respect for all,” Modi said. “The ‘mahamilawatis’, on the other hand, think some castes are beholden to them.” Mahamilawati, or adulerated, is a term that the prime minister uses to describe the Opposition.

Addressing a rally in the city of Sasaram, Modi said the Opposition wants to form a weak government and destroy the country. “Why are people so angry with these ‘mahamilawatis’?” he asked. “It is because these dynastic and corrupt parties are arrogant.”

The prime minister alleged that the Congress, in its arrogance, tried to wipe off BR Ambedkar’s contributions from the country’s history. “Those who claim to protect Ambedkar’s legacy are now carrying the Congress’s flag,” he added, in an apparent dig at the Bahujan Samaj Party.

In Buxar, Modi said his government had taken on terrorists and trouble-mongers on both sides of the India-Pakistan border. “The mahamilawatis, if elected to power, will give free licenses to stone-pelters, Naxals and tukde-tukde gang,” he added.

The prime minister said the Opposition would receive a befitting reply from people on May 23, when election results are declared. “Going by the response of people in the six phases of elections, it is clear that the Opposition parties will face a humiliating defeat,” Modi said. “Their anger knows no bounds. They are trying to draw satisfaction from hurling abuses.”