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Input: NEW DELHI (AP) — Against the backdrop of a bitterly fought local election  India is witnessing the unusual spectacle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi locked in a bitter verbal duel with his predecessor and accusing the opposition of holding secret meetings with Pakistani officials to impact the vote.
In a written statement  Singh accused  Modi  of dealing in "falsehood and canards" because  he  feared "imminent defeat in Gujarat."
The western state of Gujarat is  Modi 's home turf. He ruled it  without any real opposition  for over a decade before he arrived at the national center stage. The election that is underway there is being called the closest fight that  Modi  and  his  Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have faced in two decades.
Even though  Modi  no longer heads the state  the election has become a referendum of sorts on  his  popularity and that of  his  party.  He  has headlined the party's election campaign over the last month  addressing rallies across the state. Several top federal lawmakers and party functionaries have joined  him  to rally support for the party.
FILE - In this Wednesday  Dec. 13  2017  file photo   Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi   front  stands with  his  former counterpart Manmohan Singh  left  in one minute silence to pay homage to security officials who lost their lives in the 2001 attack on Indian parliament  in New Delhi  India. Against the backdrop of an increasingly personal and bitterly fought local election  India is witnessing the unusual spectacle of  Modi  locked in a bitter verbal duel with  his  predecessor  accusing the opposition of holding secret meetings with officials from archrival Pakistan to impact the polls. The unsubstantiated allegations have prompted a sharply worded response from Singh. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup  File)
"He has staked his own personal prestige on Gujarat " said political analyst Neerja Chowdhury. As someone removed from local politics for over three years  there was no need for  Modi  to make the campaign about  himself    he  said.
"It's become a personal election for  him . Now that it has  there is a lot more at stake " Chowdhury said.
Even by the rough and tumble standards of a chaotic and closely fought Indian election   Modi 's words were in sharp deviation from the campaigning style of former prime ministers.
"What is the reason to have such a secret meeting with the Pakistan high commissioner? And while elections are on in Gujarat  what is the reason for this type of secret meeting?"  Modi  said at an election rally.
At a separate rally   he  suggested that Pakistani officials were trying to ensure that a Muslim leader of the Congress party becomes the state's next leader.  He  offered no proof.
In an editorial Tuesday  The Indian Express newspaper said that  Modi 's "none-too-veiled innuendo" had "severely let down  his  constitutional commitment and office."
FILE - In this Nov. 27  2017  file photo   Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's supporters wear  his  masks during an election campaign rally addressed by  Modi  at Jasdan in Gujarat  India. Against the backdrop of an increasingly personal and bitterly fought local election  India is witnessing the unusual spectacle of  Modi  locked in a bitter verbal duel with  his  predecessor  accusing the opposition of holding secret meetings with officials from archrival Pakistan to impact the polls. The unsubstantiated allegations have prompted a sharply worded response from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki  File)
In the three years since  Modi  and  his  Hindu nationalist party won a massive victory in national elections  rights groups have reported a spike in attacks on minority groups  especially Muslims. Most of the attacks have been linked to fringe Hindu hard-liners.  Modi  has largely kept silent  with many seeing  his  silence as tacit support.
 His  own oratory is powerful and scathing at election rallies  but as prime minister  he  has so far refrained from making controversial remarks  leaving those to junior party members.
"Whether  he  wins or loses in Gujarat   he  is spreading a poison from which Indian politics will find it hard to recover for quite some time " analyst and commentator Pratap Bhanu Mehta wrote in a newspaper column Wednesday.

India's Modi duels with his predecessor amid local election