Shimla | Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not an Italian like Congress leader Sonia Gandhi who does not know Hindi, he is a son of the soil who is working for the country's progress, said actor Kangana Ranaut, the BJP candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh, on Friday.

Addressing a rally at Jagat Khana in Kullu district, Ranaut said Modi is a symbol of good governance and the prime minister knows several languages, including Pahari.

"Prime Minister Modi is not an Italian like Sonia Gandhi who does not know Hindi. He is a son of the soil, was born in a poor family and is working for the welfare and development of the country," she said.

On one hand, there is Modi's good governance and on the other hand, the corruption of the Congress and the people of Himachal Pradesh have made up their mind to ensure the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) victory in the June 1 polls, she added.

Attacking Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu for his remarks that Jai Ram Thakur, the leader of opposition in the state Assembly, is making a flop film, Ranaut said Thakur had a super hit tenure of five years as chief minister but Sukhu has failed in his job in 15 months.

Sukhu had earlier said "Kangana is a good actress" but her film would flop as her scriptwriters are Thakur and state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal.

Taking a dig at the Congress candidate from Mandi, Vikramaditya Singh, the son of six-time former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and state party chief Pratibha Singh, Ranaut said his family has been sticking to power for long.

"Tikkaji (Singh) is the face of the dynastic politics of the Congress, whereas the BJP is a party of commoners where a tea seller (Modi) becomes the prime minister and the son of a mason (Thakur) becomes a chief minister, she added.

Meanwhile, addressing a public meeting in Kullu, Singh said, "Where are the two crore jobs promised by the BJP and why is the BJP not talking about inflation?" The saffron party should talk about development issues rather than misleading the public on Hindu-Muslim and India-Pakistan, he added.

The Congress leader also listed his priorities for Kullu district, including promotion of tourism, opening medical colleges and the construction of the Jalori Jot tunnel.