Castigating BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien asked how the "Butcher of Gujarat" would take care of the nation when he could not take care of his wife.

While calling him the "Butcher of Gujarat", Derek said the "Butcher of Gujarat who is air-dropped into Bengal has no answers to Bengal's development model so, making personal attacks."

In a string of tweets, Derek, while lambasting Modi after the latter's fresh attack on the party supremo at a rally in Serampore on Sunday, said, "The Butcher of Gujarat could not take care of his own wife. How will he take care of this great nation?"

Condemning Mamata for the second time in the last three weeks after adopting a soft approach two months ago, Modi raked up the Saradha scam and said he did not imagine this from the Trinamool supremo. "Saradha is the other name of Saraswati, she is worshipped everywhere, and this Saradha turned into a chit fund? Mamataji, we did not expect this from you," he said.

"Personally, I have no ill wills against you. But what have you done, you have ruined the hopes of the people of Bengal," Modi said.

"So much longing for the chair? The people of Bengal had so much hope from you and gave you so much love and you could have done so much for the state, but you are doing what the Left had been doing.

"You are stepping on their footsteps only. You have imbibed the bad things of both the Left and the Congress," Modi said. Saradha scam has become a sizzling poll issue in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Derisively praising Mamata's panache for painting, he said, "Your paintings used to be sold for Rs 4 lakh, 8 lakh or 15 lakh, but what is the reason that one of your paintings sold for Rs 1.80 crore. I respect art. "But who was the person who bought the painting for Rs 1.80 crore," he said. "Who all have bought her paintings, for what price they bought it, suddenly how they found out your talent, this the people of Bengal want to know.

"If for this your image has suffered battering, then the people of Bengal, who are known to be passionate lovers of art, where art is worshipped, then the people of Bengal will not tolerate if art is sold in the hands of thieves," Modi said.

Countering Modi's allegation regarding the paintings, O'Brien tweeted, "Paintings were sold not for personal gain. Money used for good causes as well as to fund elections. Hence electoral reforms a priority."