Rahul Gandhi insulted PM, says Modi

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of insulting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by unilaterally ridiculing a government-backed ordinance on politicians with criminal background.

Modi was referring to Gandhi's outburst Friday when he described as

"complete nonsense" the ordinance that sought to overturn a Supreme Court ruling disqualifying politicians convicted of crime.

Addressing a huge rally in the capital, the Bharatiya Janata Party star asked: "When his own party leader calls the PM 'nonsense', how can he (PM) get respect abroad?"

Referring to Gandhi as "prince", Modi said: "If I may use a rural terminology, then Congress upadhyaksh ne pradhan mantri ki pagdi uchhal di (Gandhi has insulted the prime minister)."

He added, in a reference to the Gandhi family: "There is a war between the dynastic rule and democracy.

"The dynastic rule is trying to strangle democracy," he went on. "People have to decide whether the country will function on the basis of constitution or on the whims of the prince?

"The dynastic rule and the prince are not just insulting the prime minister but insulting the constitution, the parliament and democracy," he added.