Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress of supporting “urban Maoists”, who he claimed live in “AC homes” and send their children to study abroad but exploit the poor tribal communities.

He urged the voters of Chhattisgarh not to forgive the Congress as he addressed an election rally in Jagdalpur, headquarters of the Maoist-hit Bastar district.

“Congress leaders should answer why they make statements defending urban Maoists. Whenever the government initiates legal action against them (urban Maoists), you (the Congress) come out to defend them,” Modi said.

Although Modi spoke in Hindi, he kept using the English expression “urban Maoists”.

“Urban Maoists live in AC rooms in cities, look clean, build their stature by rubbing shoulders with sensible people; their children study abroad; they move around in good cars; but they sit there and through a remote system, they work to destroy the lives of tribal children,” he said.

“I want to ask why the Congress is supporting these urban Maoists.”

The BJP has been using the expressions “urban Maoists” and “urban Naxals” to describe a group of Left-leaning rights activists whom Maharashtra police had arrested on the charges of associating with Maoists and inciting a caste clash in Bhima Koregaon near Pune on January 1.

Some of them are in custody while some are in house arrest or are protected for now by court injunctions.

Modi accused the Maoists of Chhattisgarh of exploiting tribal children by handing them guns instead of pens.

“What do you call people who burn down schools and don’t allow doctors to work? They are people with rakshashi (demonic) tendencies,” he said.

He accused the Congress of following a double standard, shielding “urban Maoists” in Delhi while promising to free Chhattisgarh of Maoists. He asked the voters to teach the party a lesson.

“Don’t allow them (the Congress) to win even a single seat in Bastar. Only one of them is enough to destroy the dream of Bastar’s people,” he said.

Modi is likely to address several more rallies in the state, where polling is scheduled on November 12 in the 18 Maoist-hit constituencies and on November 20 in the remaining 72 seats.

The BJP, battling the accumulated anti-incumbency of three straight terms in the state, is banking on the “Modi magic” and a division of Opposition votes between the Congress and the Ajit Jogi-Mayawati alliance.

Modi said the BJP was the only party interested in serving tribal communities while previous Congress governments had served only their families and middlemen. He urged the people to re-elect the BJP, stressing the advantages of having the same party in power at the Centre and in the state.