PM Manmohan Singh with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi (file pic)
In his strongest comments so far on the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Dr Manmohan Singh today said, "It would be disastrous for the country to have
Narendra Modi as Prime Minister." He went on to describe Mr Modi as "someone who has presided over the mass massacre of citizens on the streets of Ahmedabad."
(Watch the PM's interaction with media) | (Rate his answers here)
Dr Manmohan Singh's sharp critique of Mr Modi came after he ruled out a third term for himself even if the Congress wins the national election, due by May. The PM, 81, said he believes his party's vice-president, 43-year-old Rahul Gandhi, is the best candidate for Prime Minister.
(
PM rules out third term, says he 'will hand over baton')
Last month, a court in Gujarat ruled that Mr Modi will not be prosecuted for his alleged complicity in the riots that lacerated his home state in 2002, leaving over 1000 people dead, most of them Muslims.
The court agreed with a report that said there was no evidence to prove that Mr Modi, in his first term as Gujarat chief minister, had fanned the communal violence in collaboration with other members of his government, bureaucrats and police officers.
In response to the PM's stinging remarks today, the BJP's Shahnawaz Hussain tweeted, "PM says @narendramodi becoming PM will be disastrous. Mr PM it was your 10 yrs that hv been disastrous for India & its people(sic)." BJP president Rajnath Singh added that the PM's remarks were "laughable".
(PM's comments on Modi are 'laughable,' says BJP chief)