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Prime Ministry Narendra Modi attacked the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance on Tuesday and said that they worried about the BJP’s popularity among the masses.

Addressing a rally at Ambedkar Nagar near Ayodhya, PM Modi said, “Whenever they see the support for me among the people, the blood pressure of SP and BSP shoots up.”

The Prime Minister accused the SP and BSP of using BR Ambedkar and Ram Manohar Lohia’s name for political gains and not implementing their ideals. “Be it SP, BSP or Congress, they all did the same. Behen ji (Mayawati) used the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar but her actions were opposite to what he stood for. SP used the name of Lohia ji but they destroyed the law and order situation in UP when they were in power,” Modi said.

He continued to target the opposition on tackling terrorism and asserted that only a strong government at the Centre can fight terror. He said that the terror factories across the border are hoping for a weak government in India.

“From our neighbourhood, all they do is export terror and terrorism. It is important for a government that can tackle terrorism to come to power,” said PM Modi.

Samajwadi chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati have been involved in a war of words with the Prime Minister in the last few weeks. Akhilesh Yadav had demanded a “72 hour” ban for Modi’s speech at a poll rally in Bengal where he claimed 40 Trinamool MLAs are in touch with him.

The Election Commission has recently barred several leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from campaigning for 72 hours due to poll code violations.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that about 40 Trinamool Congress MLAs were in touch with him and would switch sides once the BJPwins the Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called him “shameless” and that his candidature should be cancelled for encouraging horse-trading during elections.

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Addressing an election rally at Bhadreswar in Hooghly district, she described Modi’s remarks as  “unconstitutional” and said, “Yesterday he came here to hold election rallies. He said that about 40 MLAs are in touch with him. He is a shameless Prime Minister. A Prime Minister is encouraging horse-trading. His party is not like our party. His party is full of thieves which functions only on money. Our party functions on the sacrifices of our party workers. I have no worries. If one worker leaves then I will create one lakh more workers. For this reason, his candidature must be cancelled.”

“Holding a constitutional position, he is violating the constitution by making unconstitutional statements. He has no right to remain the PM,” Banerjee said.

Silence speaks louder than words. And that was evident at a recent rally of the prime minister when his Bihar ally Chief Minister Nitish Kumar remained seated while Narendra Modi led his supporters in fervently chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”.

The video of the rally at Darbhanga that has gone viral shows Modi and others standing and repeatedly raising the BJP’s battle cry “Vande Mataram…” while thrusting their clenched fists into the air. Those following the lead included LJP chief and union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be campaigning in favour of Union minister and BJP nominee for Amethi Lok Sabha seat Smriti Irani on Tuesday.

Sub-District Magistrate, Gauriganj, Amit Kumar told PTI Monday that the chief minister will address a public meeting organised by the BJP at Maurya Ki Bag under Jagdishpur assembly segment here Tuesday.

Adityanath had attended the nomination procession of Ms Irani but left Amethi soon after.

Ms Irani had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Amethi against Congress president Rahul Gandhi. This time she is again pitted against the Congress president.

Amethi has traditionally been a Congress bastion. Barring 1977 and 1998, it has always elected a Congress candidate.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming that 40 Trinamool Congress MLAs were in touch with him. He said Mr. Modi should be “banned for 72 years” for his “shameful” speech.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently barred several leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from campaigning for 72 hours due to Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations.

“Vikas (development) is asking… Did you hear the shameful speech of Pradhanji (PM)? After losing the faith of 125 crore countrymen, he (Modi) is now relying on the unethical assurance of defection allegedly given by the 40 MLAs,” he tweeted.

“This reflects his (Modi) black money mentality. He should be banned for not 72 hours but for 72 years,” he said.

On the campaign trail in West Bengal on Monday, Mr. Modi said, “Didi, even your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet.”

“With just a handful of seats, ‘Didi’ you can’t reach Delhi. Delhi is far away. Going to Delhi is just an excuse. Her real intention is to politically establish her nephew,” he had said.

The Trinamool leadership was quick to hit back, accusing the Prime Minister of horse-trading and saying it would complain to the ECI about it.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi, the party’s candidate from East Delhi, has asked Gautam Gambhir why he decided to enter politics after he turned down her “open challenge” for a debate. “If you don’t believe in debates, then why have you entered politics? The Delhi government is going to start a cricket academy, why don’t you run that?” she asked him on Twitter after Gambhir told CNN-News18 that he does not believe in “dharna or debates”. 

The Supreme Court has pulled up Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for attributing the ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ remark to the court and said he is compelling the bench to take action against him for contempt. “We never said it.. You attributed the comment to us and now you are trying to justify it,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said. 

A debate over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on caste boiled over today as the Congress’s new general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra weighed in, saying her party had never raised questions about his caste. Caste is one of the key factors in the heartland state of Uttar Pradesh and Mayawati, who commands a chunk of the Scheduled caste votes, has used it to attack PM Modi.

“I am still not aware of the caste that Modi belongs to. And the opposition and the Congress have never raised the issue of his caste,” Priyanka Gandhi told the media at Amethi, her brother and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency.

PM Modi’s caste became a matter of national debate ahead of the 2014 elections, with allegations that he is not a member of backward castes by birth and used the caste card only for electoral gains.

Yesterday, Mayawati said the Prime Minister had included himself among the backward castes during his term as the Gujarat chief minister for political benefits.

Speaking at Kannauj later, the Prime Minister had requested Mayawati not to “drag” him into “caste politics”.

Pragya Thakur, the BJP candidate from Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, was seen weeping on meeting party veteran Uma Bharti while campaigning today. The two saffron-robed politicians hugged in an emotional moment captured by a posse of TV cameras.

Union Minister Uma Bharti, who is not contesting the election but has won from Bhopal in the past, was seen consoling Pragya Thakur, who stayed seated in an SUV, wiping her tears.

Pragya Thakur had gone to meet with Uma Bharti as she landed in Bhopal this morning amid talk of a rift. While leaving in an SUV, Pragya Thakur broke down.

Uma Bharti was seen consoling her and offering her water. She was also seen bowing to Pragya Thakur.

Amid the non-stop rallies and political clashes, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared a moment of sibling banter on Saturday when they bumped into each other at Kanpur airport in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress president and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary were both headed to separate meetings on the last day of campaigning before the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

In the video Rahul Gandhi posted on Facebook, the Congress president jokingly said with his arm wrapped around his sister, “Let me tell you. Let me tell you what it means to be a good brother. I’m doing massive, massive long flights and going in a little helicopter like that, squeezed up. And my sister is doing short flights, and is going in a big helicopter…” 

The Congress-in-charge for UP East laughed, playfully struck his hand and said, That is not true. That’s not true. I had an hour flight.”

“But I love her,” Rahul Gandhi quickly quipped in the end before momentarily parting ways with Vadra. The two leaders were then seen obliging to the airport staff’s request for a photograph. 

Rahul Gandhi is slated to hold rallies in Congress’ bastion seats of Raebareili and Amethi while Priyanka Gandhi will hold a roadshow in Unnao and address public rallies in Barabanki and Dewa.

Ramesh Raju has become a hero to the shell-shocked congregation of the Zion evangelical church in Batticaloa after he died stopping a suicide bomber who was bent on killing hundreds of people.

Nearly a week after the bombing, the road leading to Raju’s house in the eastern city is flanked by posters and photographs of the 40-year-old father of two who blocked the attacker at the church door.

A stream of well-wishers queue to express condolences to his widow, a Sunday school teacher.

Raju was one of 29 people, including 14 children, that media reports say died in the blast at Zion, one of three churches and three hotels targeted by Jihadist bombers.

But about 600 people who were inside at the time escaped the human bomb. The dead from the other two churches make up the majority of the 253 overall death toll.

“When he felt suspicious about the bomber he could have run away to safety but I think he chose to scuffle with him in order to stop him from entering the church,” his father Velusami Raju told AFP.

“I feel very proud that he saved so many lives, especially so many children,” he added.

Jihadist Target

The east coast city is thought to have become a target as the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) blamed for the attacks came from the region.

Zion church was packed at the time and there were dozens of children fresh from Sunday school. Raju had volunteered to help manage the crowds, according to witnesses.

When he spotted an unfamiliar man carrying two huge bags, Raju confronted hm and asked him to leave them outside. The bomb went off during the argument.

A number of other children and parents who were outside at the time were killed along with him.

“He was a very good man,” said Raju’s father, who described his eldest son as the “pillar” of their large family.

“Every memory we shared is so precious… He was the main support for our family, for his three younger sisters and younger brother,” the 63-year-old said.

Father and son spoke just minutes before the explosion, Velusami said. Raju promised to call him back once the service was over.

The next time his phone rang, it was a parishioner calling to tell him his son had been killed in a blast.

Raju’s younger sister also died in the bombing, along with her husband and 20-month-old son.

“I have lost my grandson but at the same time I feel so proud that my son saved so many children, so other families don’t have to go through what we are going through,” the retired mill worker said, choking back tears.

Services Halted

Tucked away on a leafy street, the church is now surrounded by heavy security and investigators comb the premises for evidence.

The congregation does not know when a service will be held there again.

The other two churches attacked were Roman Catholic and the church’s leaders have suspended all services across the country until Sri Lankan authorities can guarantee security.

Raju was a success story in the Muslim-majority town, setting up his own company at the age of 28 and raising a family with his high school sweetheart.

To his loved ones, the moments leading up to his death serve as yet another reminder of the scale of their loss.