Advani decries Modi attack on PM

 

New Delhi/Mumbai, Aug 15, 2013 (PTI): Senior BJP leader L K Advani’s discomfort with party poster boy Narendra Modi came to the fore once again on Thursday when he disapproved the latter’s attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his Independence Day speech.

 

Advani, who himself is an aspirant for the post of Prime Minister and is opposed to the projection of Modi as the candidate for the top post, was of the view that on a day as Independence Day, leaders should not be critical of others. Modi dared Singh to participate in a public debate on governance and said the nation is "restless for change".

 

The BJP leader said, “I heard the Prime Minister today. On Independence Day, without criticising anybody, we all should realise that India has unlimited potential for the future.” In the morning, Advani was present at Red Fort when the Prime Minister addressed the nation.

 

“Today, I want to wish the entire nation a Happy Independence Day. When I say the entire nation, I don’t think some of them are my own and some are not. So I want to wish the Prime Minister and his entire Cabinet on this occasion,” he said.

 

He was speaking at his residence after hoisting the national flag, moments after the Gujarat Chief Minister spoke at the Independence Day function in Gujarat’s Bhuj.

 

Advani said India has unlimited potential for the future. “He (Singh) has enumerated the achievements and the shortcomings of this decade. We should now be concerned about making the decade starting from 2014 an unprecedented one in India’s history. We should give it the best performance we can,” he said.

 

Appealing to all to work in such a way that the world admits that there is no parallel to India, he said one should avoid making personal attacks on this day and should think about the decade ahead.

 

Advani had skipped the meeting of party’s National Council in Panaji in June where Modi was made the election campaign committee chief ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections.

 

The 85-year-old leader had quit from all party posts on June 10, protesting against the elevation of Modi. However, he later withdrew the resignation on the intervention of the RSS.

 

However, BJP described Singh’s speech as “lacklustre and an outright disappointment”. BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the Prime Minister was silent on the state of the economy “which stands devastated”.