PM's remarks on Modi laughable: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday condemned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks that Narendra Modi as premier will be disastrous for the nation and said it was unfortunate he was saying this even after the clean chit given to him by the Special Investigation Team and a court.

BJP President Rajnath Singh while condemning the remarks also said that the prime minister had admitted to the dual power centre that existed in the UPA government, a contention that the saffron party has been making for quite some time.

Rajnath said that the prime minister has accepted that the next government is not going to be that of UPA and that is why is has opted himself out for a third term.

"I condemn this statement of the Prime Minister. It is very unfortunate that the prime minister is saying this even when the SIT and court have given him a clean chit," he said.

The BJP chief said it was "laughable" to make such a statement even when Modi as chief minister has presented Gujarat as a model state in the country through the development initiated by him there.

"It is a laughable statement to say that he should not be the prime minister as during his tenure riots have taken place in Gujarat. Modi in his tenure as chief minister has presented Gujarat as a model of development and a model state in the country," he said.

"Though whatever has happened in 2002 is unfortunate and painful," he added.

Reacting to the statements made by the prime minister during his press conference, Rajnath said he has admitted that his government has failed to control rising prices and corruption and could not create enough employment opportunities.

"Instead of listing out his achievements, the prime minister has instead listed out the failures... This government has proved a failure on all fronts. The prime minister has

admitted that there is a dual power centre...     

"The prime minister has tried to justify whatever BJP has been saying that due to dual power centre you cannot expect anything good from this government. That the freedom to take decisions has been completely finished," he said.

Lamenting that the prime minister did not talk about national security during his press conference, he said this government has proved a "failure" on the issue of internal and external security.

The opposition party president said it was "laughable" to say that UPA has done better than NDA and claimed that India had become current-account deficit, growth rate had reduced and economic disparity had increased and employment opportunities had reduced during this government.

He also charged the present UPA of being a government against which corruption charges were levelled as no other government in the history of independent India.