Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today took a swipe at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, calling him "maun (silent) Mohan Singh" for his alleged silence on price rise and inflation.

As he continued his attack on the UPA government in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh, the BJP veteran did not spare Congress President Sonia Gandhi from criticism on the price rise issue, asking has she ever gone to kitchen.

"Yesterday Maun mohan Singh had visited Himachal Pradesh and today the biggest news in the papers is that Maun mohan Singh broke his silence in Himachal Pradesh. It is impossible to guess what he thinks about the country's situation," Modi said mocking the prime minister while addressing an election rally at Mandi.

The Chief Minister also accused Sonia of being insensitive and unconcerned about the plight of women reeling under price rise.

"What does Sonia Gandhi know about the problems faced by housewives. Has she ever gone to the kitchen?" he asked at a rally in Kangra.

"Few days back Soniaji had come to Mandi. Prime Minister also came. I would have been happy and satisfied had Prime Minister and Soniaji expressed their worries about poor people. They should have spoken at least once on the issue of price rise and poverty," Modi said.

"Can I ask you all a question? Have these two people spoken over inflation. It is a big national issue. Is it not the responsibility of the Prime Minister to speak on this... They should have said that prices will come down someday," he said.

Modi also said the issue of capping cooking gas cylinders will destroy the Congress party. Waving a stove during his address, he said, "This is not a stove, but a slap on the face of Congress. This will destroy the entire Congress."

Urging people of Himachal to break the tradition of alternatively electing Congress and BJP to power, Modi called upon people of the hill state to re-elect the BJP government for stability.

Modi also took potshots at Union Minister Shashi Tharoor's personal life, saying his wife was once his "50-crore-rupee girlfriend", a day after he made a comeback in the Union Cabinet reshuffle.

"Wah kya girlfriend hai. Apne kabhi dekha hai 50 crore ka girlfriend?" (What a girlfriend?. Have you ever seen a 50-crore girlfriend), Modi said in an apparent attack on Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar.

"There was a Congress leader who was a minister. He was accused of amassing wealth from cricket. He had said in Parliament that he is not connected to the Rs 50 crore in the lady's name," the BJP stalwart said in an apparent reference to Tharoor in the context of the IPL cricket controversy involving Pushkar in 2010 which led to his resignation as Minister of State for External Affairs minister.

Modi, however, did not take any names.

"...And then girlfriend becomes wife, we learn some time later...The issues are still not settled and he (Tharoor) is now made a minister," the chief minister said.

The suave diplomat-turned politician was made the Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development.