Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seemingly buoyed by leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech aadmi' comment, is now tightening the screws on the now-suspended Congress leader, and his party as his home state Gujarat entered the last stretch of its high-stakes Assembly election.

Speaking at a rally in Palanpur, PM Modi referred to some recent unverified reports, which he called "sensational", and claimed Aiyar met with the Pakistani High Commissioner and "an ex-Pakistan Foreign Minister" at his home in New Delhi a day before calling him "neech".