Bhagalpur: Under fierce attack for his DNA jibe against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, which has been turned into a major electoral weapon against him, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday sought to make amends, calling Biharis the “most intelligent” people.

He also charged Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad with “sacrificing” the legacy of towering socialist leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan by sharing platform with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Addressing the last of Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Parivartan’ rallies in the election-bound state before the poll schedule is announced, Modi launched a blistering attack on his RJD-JD(U) rivals, charging them with spreading the “poison of casteism and communalism” during their 25-year rule.

In the rally billed as the BJP’s counter to the impressive ‘Swabhiman Rally’ of the newly formed ‘Grand Secular Alliance’, which was attended by Sonia Gandhi, besides Kumar, Lalu and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother Shivpal, Modi claimed credit for making development an agenda in the state elections for the first time.

“After 25 years, people of Bihar have decided to vote for development and form a government for development. Nobody can stop this [NDA’s] victory march irrespective of how many parties and leaders come together against us.

“Two days back there was a sacrificial meeting in Gandhi Maidan in which JP, Lohia and Karpuri Thakur were sacrificed. Lohia fought against Congress but his disciples have now betrayed him for their lust for power. They have joined hands with those [Congress] who put JP in jail,” Modi said, asking people to “sacrifice” such people by voting them out.

Modi, facing sustained criticism by Kumar and Lalu for his DNA dig at the chief minister of eastern Indian state of Bihar, lavished praise on the people of the state, saying the “most intelligent people live in Bihar”.

The prime minister, who had earlier announced a Rs 1.25 trillion (Dh69.1 billion) package for the state, referred to Kumar’s sop of Rs2.7 trillion, and claimed that the Bihar chief minister was forced to do so after he made development a major poll plank.

“They ridiculed my package but realised in two-three days that people have seen through their game. So they were forced to announce their own development package. I am very happy that development has become a poll issue in Bihar,” he said.

Modi also accused Kumar of having “cheated” the people with the so-called development package of Rs2.7 trillion, insisting it was merely the sum of annual budgets of Rs 500 to 550 billion each year over five years.

Contrasting it with the package announced by him, Modi said the development proposals worth Rs1.25 trillion promised by the Centre is beyond the around Rs3.75 trillion rupees that the state would get towards its annual budget from the Finance Commission.

“It needs to be asked where will the rest of Rs1.76 trillion will go if the state only gives Rs2.7 trillion. Will it go the fodder scam way,” Modi said, taking a jibe at RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who has been convicted in the fodder scam and barred from contesting elections.

“This is an attempt to befool the people of Bihar. This is an attempt cheat them. They should realise no one can befool the people of Bihar,” Modi said.

The prime minister also hit back at his rivals for accusing him of “not fulfilling promises” he had made in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls, saying that instead of accounting for their 25 year-rule they are now questioning his work.