New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI) The Congress Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming that he was in touch with 40 MLAs of the TMC in West Bengal, asking if the statement tantamounts to horse trading or not.

Making a sensational claim in the middle of the general election, Modi said 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the poll.

"Modi ji has claimed that he is in touch with 40 MLAs of the TMC. Is it not horse trading? Is it not open talk of buying and selling. Does it not show the political bankruptcy of the BJP," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

"It is clear that after the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has accepted the defeat," he tweeted in Hindi.

On the campaign trail in West Bengal's Serampore Lok Sabha seat in Hoogly district and Barrackpore constituency in North 24 Parganas, Modi assailed TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her prime ministerial ambitions, saying "Didi, Dilli door hai (Delhi is far away)."

"Didi, even your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet," Modi said.

The TMC leadership was quick to hit back, accusing the prime minister of horse trading, and saying it would complain to the Election Commission about it.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)