Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on Rahul Gandhi for his remark suggesting there would be a "conflagration" in the country if the BJP gets a third term.

Kick-starting his Lok Sabha campaign in Uttarakhand from Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district, he said staying out of power has made the Congress desperate and asked the people to wipe out the party from everywhere.

"Congress' shehzada has threatened, there will be fire if Modi gets another term in office. Staying out of power has made them so desperate that they are now talking about setting things on fire. Would you let them do it? Wouldn't you punish them?" Modi said while accusing the party of trying to push the country towards instability and anarchy.

At a rally in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi had said that if the BJP wins the election through "match-fixing" and changes the Constitution, then the country would be "set ablaze" and it would not survive.

The prime minister also asserted that the action against the corrupt will go on.

"Don't you think the corrupt should go to jail. The corrupt are threatening and abusing me. But they can't deter me. Action against each one of the corrupt will continue," Modi said.

The prime minister's remarks come amid opposition onslaught on the ruling party in the wake of arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and JMM leader Hemant Soren in connection with separate corruption cases.

Asking people to further strengthen him, Modi said he has guaranteed making India the third biggest economy in the world in his third term.

Modi's guarantee means fulfilment of the guarantee, he said.

"Development happens when the intentions are right. Right intentions lead to good results," the prime minister added.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.