Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday likened the ongoing polls to the 1764 Battle of Buxar.

In one of the strongest-ever attacks on the BJP, she accused it of spreading rumours to kill people, creating communal acrimony and endangering the country. She said it was time to wage a war to protect democracy.

"The BJP at the Centre is creating communal tension and spreading rumours to kill people. It is endangering democracy by trying to impose its thoughts on people. It is attacking intellectuals. It is time for the people to raise their voice and wage a war to protect democracy," she said.

In the battle, the forces of the East India Company had routed the combined forces of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, Bengal Nawab Mir Qasim and Awadh Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula. The Congress chief addressed back-to-back election rallies at Buxar and Manjhi (Saran) in the run-up to the third phase of the Assembly polls due on October 28.

"On one hand are the Congress, the RJD and the JDU (the Grand Alliance), which fulfil promises and have a progressive chief ministerial candidate like Nitish Kumar. On the other hand is the BJP-led NDA that makes tall claims but fails to implement them and nobody knows its chief ministerial candidate," she said in Buxar.

As the capacity crowd at both the venues heard her in rapt attention and broke into thunderous applause, the Congress leader launched precision strikes on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi by taking up several issues concerning the people. "The last time Modi came here, he had said he would listen whenever you call. Is he able to hear cries of our brothers and sisters who are suffering owing to the prices of pulses and vegetables?" she said.

The Congress chief hit out at Modi for raising the issue of 24-hour electricity supply to attack Nitish and said the people should see the condition of the Ganga to judge how the Prime Minister has fulfilled his promise of cleaning the river. Both Buxar and Saran are located on opposite banks of the river.