Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit the campaign trail in Chhattisgarh on Friday from Naxal hotbed Bastar and lashed out at the Congress for allegedly backing the urban Maoists and urged tribal people to teach the Congress a lesson in the Assembly polls.

“Urban Maoists live in air-conditioned house, their child study abroad, they roam in costly cars while they keep tribal in poverty and backwardness. Can we forgive these urban Maoists? Why is the Congress supporting these urban Maoists,’’ the Prime Minister remarked at a huge rally in famous Lal Bagh ground at Jagdalpur, headquarters of restive Bastar region.

“I urge the people of Bastar to teach the Congress leaders a lesson in this election. They on one hand try to shield the urban Maoists while on the other hand they speak about freeing Chhattisgarh from Maoist menace,’’ Modi opined at the rally. While referring to a recent incident in which a public broadcaster DD’s cameraman and three jawans were killed by Maoists in Dantewada, Modi said, “a DD cameraman and jawans of security forces were killed by Maoists but shamefully the Congress called them (Maoists) Krantikari’’.

He also slammed the Congress for ignoring the poor for decades. “The Congress always considers the poor, Dalits, tribals and the marginalised as their vote bank. It was Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji who thought about their welfare and created a Tribal Affairs Ministry,’’ the Prime Minister said. He added, “The people in the Congress have born with a silver spoon, how will they know the sentiments of advivasi’’? He reiterated that the BJP Government at the Centre as well as in Chhattisgarh had been leaving no stone unturned to improve life quality in Bastar.

Bastar region which is made up of seven districts, has 12 Assembly seats. The Congress had bagged eight seats while the BJP four in the last Assembly polls in 2013. The BJP is expecting to improve its tally this time in Bastar. Chhattisgarh goes to polls in two phases on November 12 and 20 to elect the new 90-member State Assembly.

In the first phase, as many as 190 candidates, including Chief Minister Raman Singh will be in the fray for 18 Assembly seats.

The voting for the first phase of elections will be held in Dantewada, Bijapur, Konta, Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Jagdalpur, Keshkal and Chitrakot Assembly seats.

Presently, the Congress holds 12 seats while the BJP just six seats of the total 18 seats that go to polls in the  first phase.

The BJP is in power in the State since Ajit Jogi-led Congress Government was voted out from power in 2003.