Shahnawaz Hussain and Narendra Modi at the rally in Bhagalpur on Tuesday. (PTI)

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Tuesday called upon the youngsters not to allow a “corrupt party like Congress to retain its power at the Centre”.

Addressing an impressive rally in favour of party’s national spokesperson and local MP Shahnawaz Hussain at Sandis Compound around 3pm, Modi appealed to the youngsters to save time and energy. He also made them cautious about the future of the youth in the age group of 18-28.

“The next 10 years are very crucial for your career. Your life depends on what you achieve in that time frame. Your career will be ruined if you allow the corrupt UPA government to survive. Take this election as an examination paper of Class XII,” Modi said, targeting the young voters.

“Agar aap ko mere par bhorosa hai to mera sath chal chaliye, mai aapka bhaghya badal dunga (If you have faith in me, walk with me, I will change your fate),” Modi said.

During his 40-minute speech at the rally attended by over 50,000 people, Modi targeted Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as Maa aur Beta. “This morning, when I was getting ready to visit Jharkhand and Bihar I saw a scroll on the TV. It showed the daughter of the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) alleging that the former media adviser of her father, Sanjaya Baru, had betrayed him. I was shocked to find a daughter joining the malicious campaign to shield a father turning a blind eye to corruption.”

Referring to B.R. Ambedkar, he said the Constitution of India has provided citizens freedom of expression along with many others. “But I was earlier worried why the Prime Minister was helpless even to talk properly. I lambasted him for his prolonged silence on corruption but after going through Baru’s book, everything is clear to me.”

Lambasting Sonia, Modi alleged that earlier she had planned to declare her son as the prime ministerial candidate but later gave up the idea and herself jumped into the fray. Braving the blazing sun, the youngsters appeared to be very excited and responded to Modi’s questions while raising slogans.

Earlier, during his visit to Hazaribagh and Dhanbad in Jharkhand, Modi launched blistering attacks on the Congress, getting enough fodder from the ongoing toffee-trophy row. Responding to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who dubbed Gujarat a “toffee model” where industrialists such as Gautam Adani got land at the price of toffees, Modi drubbed Rahul as “childish”.

“Aisa khiladi hai jiske dimag se bachpan jata nahin hai (he’s a player who is still childish),” Modi said without naming him or addressing realty charges. He repeatedly urged the gathering of 50,000 in Hazaribagh and 10,000 in Dhanbad to choose between toffee and trophy.

“Kya aap toffee aur balloon se khelne wale ko vote doge? Mere naseeb mein bachpan mein toffee nahin tha par Gujarat mein meri sarkar 300 se adhik trophies jeete hai achche kamo se. Ab aap batao toffee chunoge ya trophy (Will you vote for someone playing with toffees and balloons? In my childhood, I didn’t get toffees but my Gujarat government has won over 300 trophies for good work. Now say if you will choose toffee or trophy),” Modi said.

Referring to PM’s former media adviser Sanjaya Baru’s book The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh, Modi said it was now clear to all that maa-beta and beti-jamai (Sonia-Rahul and Priyanka-Robert Vadra) and not Singh “were responsible for the misdeeds”.

Modi reached Hazaribagh’s Gandhi Maidan in Matwari Mohalla by chopper around 11.30am, around 70 minutes late, but made up for the delay with verbal fireworks in his 24-minute speech.