BJP spokesperson Binod Narayan Jha and state president Mangal Pandey address the news meet in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, is likely to resume his blitzkrieg in the state next month with the war of words escalating between his party and the JD(U).

“Narendra Modi will make several visits to Bihar from the last week of December to the second week of January 2014 and address a series of public meetings in various parts of the state,” the state BJP chief, Mandal Pandey, said today at a news conference.

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Naqvi, who co-ordinates the travel plans of the leaders, said: “If Modi does go to Bihar to speak in more public meetings, the plan will fructify only after December 8.”

The results of the five Assembly elections would be declared that day.

For the BJP, barring Mizoram, the other states represent a do-or-die scenario because it is locked in a straight fight with the Congress in three of them — Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Delhi has become complicated after the entry of a third party, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party. While Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have formidable and credible state leaders in Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Raman Singh and Vasundhara Raje, respectively, sources claimed Modi’s demand was “high” in all the four states.

Accordingly, his schedule has been extended by a day in all of them. Keeping this in mind, Naqvi said Modi is likely to resume his Bihar public appearances in December and early 2014.

Ahead of the BJP announcing Modi’s third trip to the state this year, chief minister Nitish Kumar stepped up his diatribes on the Gujarat chief minister without naming him. Nitish said: “Jhooth ka kheti band karein (He should stop farming in lies). The language he (read Modi) is using is totally devoid of truth.”

Modi initiated attack on his Bihar counterpart at Hunkar Rally here on October 27, prompting Nitish’s ferocious counter-offensive on Modi in particular and BJP in general.

While the JD(U) and BJP have been locked in a fierce battle of words against each other for some time now, the RJD on Tuesday gave a third dimension to the contest. Lalu Prasad’s wife, former chief minister Rabri Devi, put L.K. Advani, Modi and Nitish on the same page.

“While Advani led the demolition of Babri mosque, Modi spearheaded the slaughter of the minorities in Gujarat in 2002. Nitish, who treats Advani as his role model, had gone to Gujarat inviting NaMo to lead the nation,” Rabri said.

She added: “The two parties — the JD(U) and the BJP — together looted Bihar for seven-and-a-half years. Weiy ek hi thaili ke chatte batte hain (They are the pawns on the same chessboard). When the time has come to respond to the people, both the parties are diverting the attention of the masses from the issues plaguing the state.”