Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of saying, “Modi ko uski aukat dikha denge (Will show Modi his place)”, and went on to recall past attacks on him, betraying desperation to play the victim card and arouse emotions before the Gujarat Assembly elections.

Modi has successfully used these tactics during past elections in his home state. This time too he was trying to find an emotional issue, centred on Gujarati self-esteem, at a time the BJP is battling anti-incumbency.

Addressing an election rally in Surendranagar, Modi again slammed Rahul Gandhi for marching with Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, without naming either of them. He also played the victim.

“The Congress says, ‘Modi ko uski aukat dikha denge’,” he said, accusing the Congress of “ahankar (arrogance)”.

“You all (Congress leaders) are from royal families but I am a sevak (one who serves). I have no aukat (status). Sevaks have no aukat,” Modi said, folding his hands and referring to the Congress as “maibaap” (masters).

The comment Modi sought to exploit had been made by Congress leader Madhusudan Mistri while releasing the party’s Gujarat manifesto early this month.

The Congress manifesto said it would change the name of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gandhinagar to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium if it came to power. Asked whether the Congress could do that, Mistri had said: “Yes, we will change the name. Hum Modi ko uski aukat dikha denge.”

Modi claimed the Congress didn’t dare debate development because of the BJP’s sterling performance, and so was engaging in personal attacks.

He dug up past attacks on him by various Congress leaders. “You call me neech aadmi (vile person), maut ka saudagar (merchant of death).... You call me all this and now you have come to show me my aukat (status),” he said.

“I have no aukat. Please talk about development and come into the contest to forge a developed Gujarat.”

Modi said he had swallowed all these personal attacks because he was working day and night for the development of India and Gujarat.

Modi asked the voters to “punish” the Congress for walking with those who had opposed the Narmada Dam — an allusion to Patkar marching with Rahul. Modi said that people removed from power were doing yatras, but again refrained from naming Rahul.

“In a democracy, you can do yatras for power but walking with their hand on the shoulders of those who had kept Gujarat thirsty by stopping Maa Narmada from entering Gujarat — the people of Gujarat will punish you,” he said. Modi had raised the subject at a rally on Sunday too.

Most pre-poll estimates and ground reports have suggested a BJP victory in Gujarat. However, the massive scale of campaigning by the BJP, with Modi leading from the front, has led many to read signs of jitters in the saffron camp that is fighting a triangular contest on Modi-Shah’s home turf after decades.

Gujarat has for the past many elections witnessed a bipolar contest between the BJP and the Congress, but the Aam Aadmi Party has become a key factor this time.

So far, Modi and other senior BJP leaders have focused their attack on the Congress, projecting the party as the main rival and ignoring the AAP to try and portray it as an insignificant player.

The BJP’s poll managers, however, fear that the AAP could hurt the Congress as well as the BJP, and have pulled out the stops to avoid any erosion of the party’s strong voter base in the state. Gujarat votes on December 1 and 5.

Modi and the BJP are keen to prove a point by winning Gujarat by a big margin. The BJP’s tally was just 99 out of 182 in the previous election, and so Modi was looking for an emotive issue to sway the voters.

At his three rallies on Sunday, Modi had claimed pro-incumbency in Gujarat because of its government’s commitment to development, and urged the voters to ensure the party led from every polling booth.