Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying he had "run away" from Amethi for fear of defeat. "Today I also want to tell him, Daro Mat (don't be afraid), Bhaago Mat (don't run)," the Prime Minister sneered at three election rallies in West Bengal.

Modi's jibe came after Rahul's most often repeated remarks against the PM "Daro Mat" and accusing the BJP Government of using probe agencies to terrorise critics and political rivals. Modi also attacked former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi saying he had predicted that both mother and son would avoid contesting from their seats out of fear.

"I had said, their biggest leader will not dare to contest. She will run away out of fear. She ran to Rajasthan and from there entered the Rajya Sabha. That is exactly what happened," he said.

"I had said  shehzade (Rahul Gandhi) is afraid of losing in Wayanad, and the moment voting ends, he will start looking for a third seat. Now even from Amethi, despite all his loyalists saying it, he panicked so much, he ran from there and is now looking towards Raebareli. These people keep going around telling people Daro Mat. Today I will also tell them... ji bhar ke kehta hoon. Arey daro mat, bhaago mat," the PM said in Burdwan.

Several BJP leaders seized on the Amethi-Raebareli decision, calling it a dead giveaway that Rahul knows he can't win Amethi, where Union Minister Smriti Irani is contesting again after her win in the last Lok Sabha election. Modi also asserted that the Congress' tally in the Lok Sabha polls will be an "all-time low", as the grand old party would struggle to cross even the "half-century" mark in the hustings.

Addressing back-to-back rallies in the Bardhaman-Durgapur, Krishnanagar and Bolpur Lok Sabha constituencies, the PM said if the Congress is voted to power, it would "snatch" quotas meant for the Scheduled Caste, Dalits and OBCs and give those to its "jihadi vote bank" to pursue the party's "appeasement politics".

Modi slammed the Opposition Bloc INDIA and the Congress for "supporting" the "vote jihad" comments made by a candidate of the Samajwadi Party (SP), an ally of the grand old party in Uttar Pradesh.

The Prime Minister also challenged the Congress to give in writing that it would not amend the Constitution to provide reservations based on religion. "Our Constitution explicitly states that the Government of India must not provide reservations based on religion. The Congress wants to do the same as they are angry with the OBCs, Dalits and the tribals because they supported Modi," he said.

Modi said he has been challenging the Congress on three points for the last 10 days, but it has remained silent.  "My first challenge is - Congress and the INDI alliance should give assurance to the country in writing that they will not make any changes in the Constitution or give reservations based on religion. My second challenge is - they should promise the country in writing that they will not snatch the reservations of SC/ST and OBCs and divide those based on religion.

"My third challenge is that they should give in writing that wherever their State Governments are in power, reservations will not be given to Muslims based on religion by slashing the OBC quota," he said.

Modi also said the "game of vote jihad" has been silently continuing in the country for decades.

"The royal family of the Congress, the TMC and the Left are silent on this appeal of 'vote jihad' against me. This means that every single member of the Opposition alliance agrees with it," he said. Hitting out at the coalition, the PM said the INDIA Bloc of Congress, TMC and the Left parties "has only one policy - appeasement".

Reaching out to the Matua community of West Bengal, Modi said, "We had hoped that the TMC would support the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, as the Matuas would benefit from it. But, the state's ruling party is opposing it for their vote bank politics."

On Congress leader Sam Pitroda's remarks over wealth redistribution, the PM said, the Congress and the INDIA Bloc are planning to "take the wealth that you have accumulated by working hard and enduring hardships, and distribute it among their vote bank".