New Delhi, March 23 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday dubbed as "reprehensible" efforts of regional parties to form a grand alliance with the Congress, saying socialist ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia would be "horrified" as most of these parties claim to be his followers.

In a blog to mark the 109th birth anniversary of Lohia, Modi alleged, "Today those parties that falsely claim to be Dr. Lohia's followers are desperate to form an opportunistic 'maha-milawat' or adulteration alliances with the same Congress (which Lohia opposed). It is both ironical and reprehensible." The Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal-Secular, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Sharad Yadav's Loktantrik Janata Dal, which will merge with the RJD after the Lok Sabha polls, were ...