'Raag darbari' of 'naamdar' call Naxals, Maoists revolutionaries: PM

Courtiers around the "naamdar" believe Naxals and Maoists are revolutionaries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here Wednesday in a sharp attack against Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Modi, who often refers to Gandhi as "naamdar" (dynast), was addressing a rally ahead of the December 7 elections in this Rajasthan town.

"Raag darbari of the naamdar say Naxals and Maoists are revolutionaries," he told the gathering.

Close aides of the "naamdar" refer to the Army chief as street thugs, Modi said, asking whether they could protect the nation.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit last year triggered a row after he likened Army Chief General Bipin Rawat to a "goon on the street", prompting the BJP to demand his expulsion.

The Congress distanced itself from the remarks. Dikshit withdrew his remarks and apologised.

"We implemented one rank, one pension in the Army. The Congress never worked on that," Modi said, adding that the party insults martyrs.

Continuing his attack against the opposition party, he said the "game of scams" had stopped in the four years that his government was in power.

"Your dreams are my dreams," he told the gathering.

The prime minister also extolled his government's record on terrorism, saying terrorists were confined to Kashmir after 2014.

"Don't underestimate the value of your one vote. It secured the country, reduced terrorist attacks and brought fame across the world," he told the crowd.

It was his second speech of the day in the state. Earlier in the morning, he addressed a rally in Nagaur.

Driving home the difference between himself and the "naamdar", he said in Nagaur that he was like the people and was not born with a golden spoon.