Modi ribs Chautala on Tihar

KARNAL: Marking the slog overs of the Haryana assembly polls, the political top guns boomed on Saturday in the land of Mahabharta.
While Congress president took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Meham, Rohtak, the latter mocked at INLD supremo OP Chautala in Karnal.
The other star campaigners, who campaigned, included home minister Rajnath Singh and minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj.
In Karnal, Modi offered Haryanvis a choice on whether they wanted to go Chandigarh or Tihar to get their work done after the elections, in an apparent jibe at Chautala, who had recently stated that he would take oath as Haryana CM in Tihar jail.
Chautala, who was convicted in the teachers' recruitment case, is out on bail on health grounds and is campaigning for his party.
Modi, who was in Karnal to address his first election rally ahead of October 15 polls, said, "Now, you have to take a call. Take a decision and change the fortune of Haryana."
While seeking mandate for BJP, Modi, who is scheduled to address nine more rallies before polls in Haryana, said there was no need to bring back the rule of fear.
"15 sal pahle gunde plot kabja karne aate the ya nahi (Didn't goons come to capture plots 15 years back or not," Modi asked. When the crowd yelled "han..han..", Modi added, "If you want relief from them, then you have to give me an opportunity."
"I want to serve you. But without government in the state, even policewalla doesn't listen to me," said Modi.
Amid cheers of "Modi-Modi", the PM started his 30-minute address on an emotional note, saying that he was initiating his poll campaign from the land where the battle of Mahabharata was fought for victory of truth.
"Whenever I come here, it seems that I have come home," said Modi, who was in charge of BJP's Haryana affairs in the eighties and nineties.
The PM said farmers were being told that the Centre has imposed a ban on the export of Basmati rice which is a lie. "Is it necessary to speak lies in polls," he asked.
"Those who could not do anything in 60 years, are asking for my 60-day record," he said.
Ripping into chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government's "number-1 Haryana" slogan, Modi listed a dozen parameters to claim that the state is lagging behind in development.
"Today the entire world is looking at India with greater respect. This is not because of Modi but the power of 125 crore people of India who had formed a strong and stable government at the Centre," said Modi. "It's not Modi's magic but your charisma," he added.