"Your slap will be a blessing," Modi retorts after Mamata's attack

Two days after Mamata Banerjee said she wanted to give him a "tight slap of democracy", Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his response while campaigning in Bengal.

At a rally in West Bengal’s Purulia today, Modi said coming from "Didi", he would consider a slap a blessing. He also doubled down on his "tolabazi" or extortion allegation that had provoked Mamata Banerjee's comments, the Indian Online news portal reports.

"I am told Didi has said she wants to slap me. Didi, oh Didi. I call you Didi. I respect you. Your slap will be a blessing for me," NDTV quoted Modi as saying during the rally.

"I will accept it, but I will also say this - if you had the guts to slap your colleagues, who stole money from the poor via chit funds, you would not be so scared," he remarked, keeping up his relentless attack on the Trinamool chief on chit fund scandals and "tolabaji" or extortionist tax.

On Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee had demonstrated at a public rally how every time PM Modi referred to her Trinamool as a party of "tolabaji" or extortionists, she felt like giving him a "tight slap of democracy".

She said: "Money does not matter to me. That is why when Narendra Modi came to Bengal and accused my party of being tolabaaz, I wanted to give him a tight slap of democracy."

Source: ndtv