Khattar, Hooda in war of words during campaign trail in Sonipat

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said Congress leaders were "avoiding" seeking votes in the name of their party president Rahul Gandhi for fear of losing.

In a war of words, Khattar's predecessor and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged the BJP is asking for votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the party had nothing to show for its performance.

Both separately addressed gatherings during campaigning in Kharkhoda here.

Hooda, the sitting MLA from Rohtak district, who is Congress' Lok Sabha candidate from here, is taking on ruling BJP's sitting MP Ramesh Chander Kaushik and JJP's Digvijay Chautala, among others.

Khattar claimed that Congressmen were "avoiding" seeking votes in the name of their party president Rahul Gandhi, and said instead they were seeking votes in the name of their party or on other grounds.

"They are avoiding seeking votes in his (Rahul's) name," Khattar said.

The chief minister said for the first time the country is witnessing an election to the Lok Sabha where leaders of various parties have united to dislodge one person (Narendra Modi).

"But we are solidly standing for that person (Modi)," he said.

Khattar claimed that the Congress will face a heavy defeat across in the general election.

Addressing another poll meeting in Ambala earlier, the chief minister said after the election results are declared, the Congress will "once again blame the EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines)", and added finding faults with the EVMs by the opposition was only their "Ek Veham Mera".

In his speech during a poll meeting in Kharkhoda here, Hooda claimed that the BJP government has no development works to show for their term in office and people have made up their minds to vote them out in the general elections.

Launching a strong counter-attack on the BJP, Hooda said, "The BJP is forced to seek votes in the name of the prime minister because they know that people will not vote for them on the basis of their performance."