Prime Minister Narendra Modi fell back on national security and religious polarisation while addressing election rallies for BJP candidates in Palamu and Lohardaga Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand on Saturday.

Throwing a darpok (coward) jab at the earlier Congress regime, Modi alleged that the party was “coward” and used to send love letters after every terrorist attack orchestrated from Pakistan.

“The Congress government used to send love letters with a hope for peace to Pakistan after every militant attack in our country. For every love letter, Pakistan used to send more number of militants. Earlier, after terrorist attacks, the government used to weep on global forums. Your vote filled me with such power that now the situation is just the reverse. Pakistan is now weeping on global forums for help,” said Modi.

He further said surgical strikes had instilled fear among the Pakistanis.

"Today's India doesn't give dossiers. This is New India, 'ghar mein ghus ke maarta hai'. Surgical strikes have shaken the Pakistanis and the neighbouring country's leaders are praying for shehzada (a term used by Modi against Rahul Gandhi during election rallies) to become the next PM,” he said.

Modi's attack on Rahul comes days after a former minister in Imran Khan's cabinet in Pakistan, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, shared a video featuring the Congress leader on his social media handle and praised him.

Accusing the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government in Jharkhand, the Prime Minister said the "corrupt" JMM and the Congress leaders amassed huge wealth for their children.

"I don't own a home or even a bicycle... There is no blot of corruption on me in the past 25 years as chief minister and Prime Minister," he said.

Outlining his achievements, Modi further claimed that backward districts such as Palamu were put under "aspirational districts" by his government and the progress can be seen by everyone. He claimed that water, electricity, ration and houses had been provided to the poor people and asserted that in his third term as the Prime Minister, those who might not have got benefits of the scheme would also be covered.

The Jharkhand government has accused the Prime Minister in the past of neglecting the rights of the poor in the state of getting houses under PM Awas Yojana in rural areas and claimed that the state government had to provide houses under its own expenses in Abua Awas Yojana.

Modi repeated his claims about the Congress manifesto of snatching away reservation of ST/SC and OBC and giving it to Muslims and conducting a survey of wealth and giving it to the Muslims.

“As long as Modi is alive, I will not let Congress snatch your reservation and give it to the Muslims. I will not allow them to change the Constitution,” said Modi.

“PM Modi again gave hate speeches against the Muslims and spread misinformation that the Congress plans to take away the property of tribals and give it to the Muslims. He also claimed that the Congress plans to loot the reservation of SC/ST and OBCs and give it to the Muslims. The speech clearly violates the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of Peoples Act. The Loktantra Bachao Andolan seeks immediate action from the Election Commission of India (ECI),” said Siraj Datta, a member of the Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan.

On Saturday evening, JMM central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya wrote a complaint to the chief election commissioner about the hate speech of the Prime Minister during election rallies in Jharkhand.

"We will submit a written complaint with the Jharkhand chief electoral officer K. Ravikumar in this connection compiling speeches of Prime Minister in Chaibasa, Palamu and Lohardaga," he said.

Modi also announced at Lohardaga and Palamu that the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda (falling on November 15) in 2025 would be observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh across the country. He said his government was observing the day at Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas as a mark of respect for the tribal identity.

Significantly, the tribal rights forum has questioned Modi's silence on the Sarna dharma code, a long-standing demand of tribals of the state.

Tribal people argue that the implementation of a separate Sarna religious code in census surveys would allow the tribals to be identified as followers of Sarna faith.

Both Palamu and Lohardaga go to vote on May 13. The BJP’s incumbent MP V.D. Ram is pitted against the RJD’s Mamta Bhuiyan in Palamu while the BJP’s Sameer Oraon is in a straight contest against the Congress's Sukhdeo Bhagat in Lohardaga.