Patna, Sept. 3 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday set the tone for the Bihar assembly elections by criticising the RJD-Congress combine for the derogatory remarks passed against him and his mother during an event of Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar last week. In the PM's first reaction to the controversy over hurling of abuses at his deceased mother during the yatra in Darbhanga recently, he took a dig at the Opposition parties, stating that using expletives against his mother was nothing for those who insult "Mother India", and that they should be punished. "My late mother had nothing to do with politics, so what was her fault; why was she abused?" he questioned. "I may forgive them, but the people of Bihar will never pardon them for insulting my mother. People of the state must say that they will punish the leaders of these parties in the coming days," he said. "A few days back, from the stage of Congress-RJD rally, abusive remarks were made. It was not just an insult to his mother, but of all the mothers, sisters and daughters of the country. I had never imagined that such an act would take place on the tradition rich land of Bihar," he said. Last week, some people had used unparliamentary language against PM Modi and his late mother when Rahul Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra was passing from Darbhanga district. A case was lodged and one person has been arrested while another is evading arrest. PM Modi was speaking at a virtual meet organised to inaugurate the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, and other officials were present during the event. The PM also transferred Rs.105 crore to the bank account of the institution. "Mother is our world. Mother is our self-respect. I had not even imagined what happened a few days ago in this tradition-rich Bihar. These abuses are not just an insult to my mother. These are insults to the mothers, sisters and daughters of the country. I know how bad all of you, every mother of Bihar, felt after seeing and hearing this. I know, as much pain as I have in my heart, the people of Bihar are also in the same pain," PM Modi said. PM Modi, who was connected with all districts of Bihar and attended by Jeevika Didis, touched the emotional chord of female voters and said, "My mother separated me from her so that I could serve crores of mothers like you. You all know that now my mother is not alive. Some time ago, after completing 100 years of age, she left us all. That mother of mine, who has nothing to do with politics, who is no more, was abused from the stage of the RJD, Congress. Sisters and mothers, I can see your faces; I can only imagine the pain you must have felt. I can see tears in the eyes of some mothers. This is very sad, painful. My inner feelings came out today." Without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the PM took a jibe at them and said, "These 'yuvraaj' born in royal families cannot understand the 'tapasya' of a poor mother and the pain of her son. They were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. They think that the power of the country and of Bihar is the legacy of their family. They feel that they should only get the chair. But you, the people of the country, blessed the hardworking son of a poor mother and made him the Prime Servant. They are not able to digest this...The list of abuses they hurled at me is very long." "Bihar is the land of Maa Janki... it has always given respect to women. This is the land where Chhath Puja is celebrated. My mother was abused from the dais of RJD and Congress. I had never imagined such a thing would happen, it was an insult to the mothers and daughters of Bihar people of the state will never forgive them," Modi said. Recalling the Navratra festival due in 20 days and Chhath festival due late October, Modi said that he can pardon those who used such languages but wondered "If Chhathi maiya will pardon them." He recalled the RJD era when women were treated with disdain, were made to suffer and warned the women of the things to come in future if they fall in their trap. "Their mindset makes them treat women as objects of exploitation and oppression. Whenever people with an anti-women mentality came to power, mothers, daughters and sisters had to endure suffering the most. This happened during the 'mafia raaj' of RJD," he said. "During the RJD era, crime was rampant in Bihar and the state witnessed cases of murder, extortion and rape every day. The RJD government gave protection to murderers and rapists. Women had to bear the brunt... so it was them who ousted the RJD from power and now the regional party wants to take revenge on women for that," the PM alleged. "Keep faith in NDA. I will continue to serve the country with same vigour," he said. He also appealed to all to push for swadeshi as well. He congratulated CM Nitish Kumar and the Bihar government over the inauguration of the scheme and termed it a "wonderful initiative". PM Modi asserted that a major basis of India's development is the empowerment of the country's women. "I congratulate the mothers and sisters of Bihar for Jeevika Sahakari Sangh and also congratulate Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and the NDA government of Bihar for this wonderful initiative. A major basis of India's development is the empowerment of its women, and to empower women, it is essential that all kinds of difficulties are removed from their lives. That is why we are doing many things to make the lives of mothers, sisters and daughters easier," the Prime Minister said. According to a press release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the primary objective of establishing the Jeevika Nidhi is to provide community members associated with Jeevika easy access to funds at affordable interest rates. All registered cluster-level federations under Jeevika will become members of the cooperative society. Both the Government of Bihar and the Central Government will contribute financially towards the operation of the institution....