Secular forces must combine against Modi
ON BOARD PM’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Referring to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi by name for the first time, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggested that the BJP PM candidate was a threat to secular politics in India and called upon like-minded forces to unite in response.
“I sincerely hope that all secular forces would combine to face the onslaught of people like Narendra Modi. And I have every reason to believe that that will happen. You wait for sometime before people realise what they are up against,” the PM said, answering a question whether Modi posed a threat to secular politics in India.
PM’S statement is indicative of an emerging thinking in the Congress that a 2004 model of alliance-building is what the party requires in the run up to the 2014 elections. In 2004 — two years after the Gujarat riots — the formation of UPA was based on the common ground between regional parties and the Left that supporting Congress was essential to stop the BJP.
Singh hoped the “the generous and tolerant” people of India would forgive the government for “some wrongs we may have done”.
He also said that things have changed for the better in Indiapak relations and the way forward to full normalisation of bilateral ties will depend on the progress made on two issues — maintaining ceasefire on the Line of Control (LOC) and punishing the culprits of 26/11 by Pakistan.
He said his meeting with Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif indicated a forward movement in normalising bilateral relations. “I sincerely hope that Nawaz Sharif succeeds,” he added.