Save India from UPA's black magicians, says Modi

India was "afraid" of the black magic seen during the UPA's 10-year rule, Narendra Modi said Thursday, returning Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's sarcastic remark that some opposition leaders were selling dreams as if they would "change everything in one day with a magic wand".

"Madam Soniaji, India is not afraid or worried about magicians. Our country is afraid of black magic. During the last 10 years, the country has been watching the UPA government's black magic," the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate said at an election rally here.

The Gujarat chief minister said that just like a magician makes a car vanish on stage, the "black magicians" of the United Progressive Alliance have made jobs for the youth vanish, and made daily life difficult for the peasants.

Urging the people to save the country from "black magicians" who have "ruined the country", Modi said they have misled people all these years.

Addressing a rally in the steel city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, Modi again referred to the remark of Sonia Gandhi.

"The central government has been run by a black magician for the last 10 years. Employment opportunities vanished, farmers' plight increased and armymen beheaded," he said.

"Remove the black magician for the sake of the country and to change the fate of the country. People have made up their minds and it is difficult for the Congress to save itself," Modi said, without naming anyone.

The Gujarat chief minister also tried to woo the voters by speaking about his humble beginnings.

"I was born in a poor family and I understand the plight of the poor. Those born with a golden spoon in their mouth cannot understand the plight of the poor," he said.

He appealed to people to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's wish to dismantle the Congress party after India got freedom.

"Gandhiji knew that the Congress leaders would be unable to rule the country and this was the reason why he wanted to wind up the Congress. Time has come to fulfil Gandhiji's dream," he said.

Modi blamed the union government for the misery of the steel city.

"If the centre followed the right policy, then Jamshedpur's automobile industry could have become the focus of the international market."