MUMBAI: With four days left for polling in Mumbai and Thane, the BJP went for the kill on Sunday by fielding its star campaigner, Narendra Modi.

The Gujarat chief minister made a strong pitch for a BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for “security, development, and stability”.

Mr Modi, touted by some BJP leaders as the party’s best foot forward for the prime minister’s post after the current nominee LK Advani, said only an NDA government under the “strong and able leadership” of Mr Advani could ensure security, development and stability to the country.

He attacked the UPA rule on “terrorism, inflation, and lack of development”. It was high-time the voters got rid of the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra too and chose a BJP-Sena government, Mr Modi said.

Mr Modi, who was addressed an election campaign rally for BJP-Shiv Sena nominee from the Mumbai North East constituency Kirit Somaiya on Sunday, attacked the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for its “weak” response to terror attacks across the country.

The Gujarat chief minister went after the Congress for being caught “completely off-guard” when ten armed terrorists not only entered Mumbai but held the metropolis and the country to ransom for three days.

Mr Modi told a large gathering at the Gujarati-dominated suburb of Ghatkopar that the UPA also fumbled in its response to the biggest terror attack on India.

Instead of initiating concrete action against Pakistan despite clinching proof that the terrorists came from the neighbouring country, the UPA government ran from pillar to post at the international level with “weak pleas” to help India, Mr Modi said.

Stressing upon a “tit for tat” response, he said India should have hit back at Pakistan in the same language. “But the UPA kept looking for support from America and other countries.

This is not the language that the terrorists understand. This is not the response of a strong country to terrorism. Under the UPA rule, there seems to be no value of innocent lives lost in terror attacks,” Mr Modi said.

The Gujarat chief minister also cited the “development work” the BJP government has carried out in Gujarat, claiming that it could serve as a model for the country if the NDA was voted to power.