India, April 12 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of taking the "tukde tukde" gang, or alleged secessionist supporters, from the streets to Parliament, as he campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in poll-bound West Bengal's Siliguri.

He called the Siliguri corridor, which connects the northeast with the rest of the country, crucial to India's security and added that the TMC wants to appease its vote bank. "There is a tukde tukde gang in this country. They threatened to separate the northeast from the rest of India. The TMC took these people from the streets to the Parliament," he said, without elaborating.

The BJP coined the "tukde tukde gang" phrase after a face off between ...