Modi accuses Lalu of stalling Railway projects : Gets rebuff

Speaking at a programme which was attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Modi said: "I agree with Nitish Kumar. Railway Ministers after Nitish Kumar did not work and stalled projects initiated by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government."

Lalu  Prasad was the Railway Minister in the Congress-led UPA government from 2004-2009.

"When Atalji was PM and Nitishji was Railway Minister, this project was started.If Atalji had been elected back, this project would have been finished much sooner.But the government changed and whoever came afterwards slowed the project down. We had to come back to finish it," Modi said.

Soon after his criticism, Lalu Prasad hit back:  "PM Modi is trying to demean the people of Bihar. People of Bihar know how JDU and RJD have served them."

Narendra Modi's BJP is expected to go full length to capture power by dislodging Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal(United), a former partner of the BJP-led NDA, that has turned into the main rival of the centre's ruling party in the battle for Bihar.

Modi arrived in Patna in the morning to kickstart BJP's poll campaign by addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarpur in North Bihar.

He also inaugurated the IIT Patna.

Vowing to fulfil all his promises made to the people of Bihar, Modi said, "I will fulfil all my promises made to Bihar people and will make announcement at the right time. I have also realised that Rs 50,000 crore is not enough for Bihar's development."

Modi also launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana for power sector reforms in Patna and flagged off Daniyawa-Biharsharif railway line and Patna-Mumbai AC express.