Kolkata/Patna, April 4 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched scathing broadsides at opposition parties in West Bengal and Bihar on Thursday, accusing them of corruption and stalling development as part of his eastern push that will be pivotal for the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP)'s goal of sealing 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Bengal, with 42 Lok Sabha seats and Bihar, with 40, are two of the largest states to go to the polls over the next six weeks. In both states, the BJP -- in alliance in Bihar and alone in Bengal -- is locked in fierce battles with regional outfits such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led coalition in Bihar and the Trinamool Congress in Bengal.

The PM first travelled to Jamui in Bihar on Thurs...