Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, addressing rallies within 200 km of each other in the northeast on Wednesday, hurled mutual accusations of selling “lies” to the people.

At Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, Mr. Modi termed the Congress manifesto as a “sham document.”

“The Congress manifesto is corrupt and full of lies just like them. Their manifesto of 2004 had promised electrification of every house in the country by 2009. They failed, revised the target for 2014 but failed to achieve that too,” he said.

Insisting that the BJP ensured development and better connectivity for Arunachal Pradesh and the rest of the northeast, the Prime Minister said the upcoming election would be a choice for the people between “trust and resolution” and “corruption and conspiracy.”

He also panned the Congress for “undertaking a project” of separatism and violence by sympathising with those who burn the national flag and raise slogans for breaking up the country.

At North Lakhimpur town in Assam, barely 200 km west of Pasighat, Mr. Gandhi targeted the Prime Minister. “Five years ago, Narendra Modi had come to you and promised that he would give each one of you ₹15 lakh. Did anyone of you receive ₹15 lakh? He speaks only lies,” he said.

The Congress, if elected, would give ₹72,000 each to poor families just like the Modi government gave ₹3.5 lakh crore to 15 selected industrialists.

“You may wonder where we will get the money from. It will be taken from the pockets of Anil Ambani’s family and distributed to the poor,” he said.

Prior to North Lakhimpur, Mr. Gandhi made a similar speech at Bokakhat in central Assam and in Nagaland.