Modi assails rival PM aspirants, says all decked up in

Narendra Modi Wednesday took a swipe at his rivals over their prime ministerial ambitions, quipping they were all decked up in "Ghunghroo", the ringing bells worn by dancers on ankles, before occupying the hot seat.

The prime minister also took a veiled dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying people looking at a mirror 10 times a day and aspiring to become PM cannot even win assembly constituencies in their Lok Sabha seat.

In an apparent jibe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been claiming that she and her Trinamool Congress will play a crucial role in government formation after the general elections, Modi said even leaders whose parties are contesting 20-25 seats, want to become the prime minister.

"Sab ghungroo bandhke taiyar ho gaye (everybody is decked up to take the hot seat)," Modi mocked them while addressing an election rally in West Bengal's Kamarpara.

At another public meeting in Lohardaga in neighbouring Jharkhand, the prime minister targeted Gandhi.

"People who look at a mirror ten times a day and then daydream about becoming the prime minister.... it's ridiculous that they cannot even win the assembly constituencies in their Lok Sabha seat," Modi said in an apparent attack on Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress chief is in the fray from Amethi for the fourth time and is pitted against Union minister Smriti Irani, who had lost to him in 2014. Gandhi is also contesting Wayanad seat in Kerala.

In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, the BJP had won four of the five seats under Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, while the fifth had gone to the Samajwadi Party.

He said the Congress-led opposition, which has been "hurling abuse" at him, was now talking ill of the EVMs after realising the "trend" of three rounds of voting in the general elections, "just like a child who makes excuses to justify his underperformance in exams".