Where was Narendra Modi's compassion in 2002, asks rival Keshubhai Patel

Ahmedabad: With polls in Gujarat slated for later this year, Chief Minister Narendra Modi continues to face a barrage of attacks from his arch rival and predecessor, Keshubhai Patel. The former Gujarat chief minister today termed Mr Modi's call for brotherhood and compassion a poll gimmick.

The veteran BJP leader had recently announced that he would not renew his party membership moving closer towards forming a new front in a poll year. Addressing a programme of dissident leaders in Ahmedabad, Mr Patel took a dig at Mr Modi's recent Sadhbhavna programme.

"These days the word brotherhood is missing from the state. These days a new word is in vogue called the sadhbhavna. But this sadhbhavna is not for the common man, it's for election time because if it would have been real compassion, it should have come in 2002,'' he said.

He even named Mr Modi directly for spreading lies about his developmental oriented programmes. "Some days back Narendrabhai did a programme in which under the Ambedkar scheme housing were given to rural poor. While addressing the programme, he patted himself, saying such a programme has never taken place in the state. But we came to know that such 50,000 houses were made and given to the poor even before his chief ministership and not like that programme where only 100 to 200 houses were given,'' said Mr Patel.

The former chief minister has been openly attending the programmes of the dissident leaders and is expected to announce the launch of his own party soon.

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