‘A political’ Manmohan is a political novice, says Advani

BJP leader L K AdvaniAhmedabad, Dec. 14: Commenting on Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s remarks over senior BJP leader L K Advani being appointed as the saffron party’s prime ministerial candidate, the latter today said that “the Prime Minister is not a political person because a politically aware person cannot make such a comment. "

Advani further said: "He (Dr Singh) is a simple man, and that is why he said something like this. "

Advani said he was surprised at the Prime Minister saying that the BJP's announcement was aimed at countering Modi in Gujarat.

"I am glad that the Prime Minister has openly accepted that no one can beat Modi in Gujarat, " he added.

The BJP has already dubbed the Prime Minister as being "diffident and unable to run the government" as his Left allies are threatening to pull the rug from beneath him.

Advani was named as the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2009 general elections, on Monday.

Wile campaigning in Gujarat for his Congress party, Dr Singh said that the decision by the BJP to name Advani as its prime ministerial candidate just ahead of the Gujarat polls, was taken because the party was getting increasingly nervous about its performance in the polls in the State and felt threatened by Modi.

The poll campaign in Gujarat witnessed acrimonious debates with Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi dubbing Narendra Modi-led State government as "Merchants of Death" and Modi trying to woo voters with a pronounced pro-Hindu stance to the extent of justifying the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in the 2005 fake encounter.

The present election campaign by the BJP in Gujarat has been completely overshadowed by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, as few central BJP leaders have taken a tour of the State for the poll campaigning.

The timing of Advani’s announcement as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate, taking the mantle from former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, came as a surprise to many.

The Congress party has termed BJP’s latest move as a ‘desperate’ one. (ANI)

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