RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "coward" who failed to take action against China when its army was destroying Indian army bunkers in Ladakh.

Addressing an election rally at Charbaha Bidyalaya in Munger in the afternoon, Lalu said: "It is regrettable that when the Chinese army was engaged in demolishing Indian bunkers in Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presenting the Bhagwad Gita to the Chinese President (in September last year). You (Modi) are a coward," Lalu roared.

A large crowd had assembled to hear Lalu and lapped up his statements while clapping in approval.

Lalu further said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised a head for a head if Indian armymen are killed by terrorists. But terrorists are gunning down armymen. Where is his 56-inch chest?"

BJP president Amit Shah had on Wednesday attacked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, saying: "If anybody engages in a misadventure, we enter Burma's borders and our forces take them out, that's what Narendra Modi's government is all about."

Lalu, against whom an FIR was lodged for a casteist remark made while campaigning for his son in Raghopur on Sunday, played the caste card more discretely this time.

Attacking RSS sarsanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat's statement on quota, Lalu declared: "As long as I am alive, I will not allow the BJP or the RSS to scrap reservation policies for Dalits and backwards if such efforts are made by the BJP or RSS in future."

Bhagwat had in an interview to RSS weeklies Organiser and Panchajanya last week proposed a relook at the reservations policy and a decision on which socially backward classes required quotas and for how long.

While campaigning in Raghopur on Sunday, Lalu had likened the Assembly polls in the state to a "fight between backward and forward castes". On Thursday, Lalu said: "The Bihar election is like the Mahabharat in which there are two armies, one of 'monsters' led by Narendra Modi and the other led by members of Dalits, backwards and minority communities."

RJD candidate from Munger, Bijoy Kumar Bijoy, a former MP from Munger, was present on the occasion.

Earlier in July, Lalu had lambasted the Prime Minister while demanding release of the caste census data and called him Kaliya Naag (mythical serpent). At the same event, Lalu had said: "The one responsible for burning Gujarat is giving sermons in Bihar."