'Modi would have sidelined Vajpayee'

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday cynically remarked that BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would have “sidelined” even Atal Bihari Vajpayee the way he treated his “guru” L K Advani and veteran leader Jaswant Singh, had the former Prime Minister continued to be in public life at this juncture.

Addressing an election rally at Karauli in Rajasthan, Rahul said Advani and Jaswant Singh have been sidelined... (Atal Bihari) Vajpayeeji would have faced a similar situation, had he been in public life at this juncture”.

Continuing in the same vein at an election rally he addressed at the BKC ground in north-central Mumbai on Sunday night Rahul turned the lens on the manner in which Modi had “sidelined” the party’s veteran leader and his “guru” Advani.

“Earlier we used to hear from him that senior leaders like Vajpayeeji, Advaniji, Jaswant Singhji and Sushmaji. Advaniji was like a Guru to him ( Modi). He (Modi) sidelined Advaniji and told him that this is not your place now. He brought Adani in his place and told the industrialist: we need you. He gave Adani 45,000 acres of land at a nominal rate of Re 1 per metre,” the Congress vice president said.

Rahul for the first time tore apart Modi for the latter’s Gujarat model of development, “toffee model” and BJP’s “India Shining" campaign.