Kamal Nath defends Rajiv Gandhi, predicts Modi’s Gujarat ‘vapsi’

Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegations against Rajiv Gandhi are "atrocious" and the way he now talks reflects that he is highly enraged and has started feeling that time has come for him to return to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said Thursday. "It is a painful thing that Modi has forgot his status. The way he is levelling allegations is atrocious. He is not talking about youths, about farmers, about traders but trying to divert people's attention. He is misleading people," Nath told PTI in an interview.

Modi had said in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district on Saturday that Rajiv Gandhi had died a corrupt person. "Your (Rahul Gandhi's) father was termed 'Mr Clean' by his courtiers, but his life ended as 'Bhrashtachari No. 1' (corrupt no. 1)." Modi was apparently referring to the Bofors scam, in which Rajiv Gandhi was implicated. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 in Sriperumbudur near Chennai. When asked about the fate of Modi, Nath said, "One thing is absolutely clear that Modi is going to return back home (Gujarat). His ghar vapsi (return to Gujarat) is certain."

According to the senior Congress leader, the "way Modi is talking, reflects that he is highly enraged and has started feeling that his time is up now." On Modi stating after the third-fourth phases of polling that the Opposition has already lost the elections, Nath said, "What else he would say? He won't say that he that he is losing ground." Asked about BSP supremo Mayawati's threat of reviewing support to his government in Madhya Pradesh after the party's Guna candidate pulled out of the election race and joined the Congress, Nath said, "The candidate wanted to join Congress, therefore we cannot stop him from doing so. (Sitting MP Jyotiraditya) Scindia took me into confidence before announcing about it."

He said the Congress and Mayawati have a common aim -- to defeat BJP and to keep Modi out. "I am fully confident that Mayawati will not do anything that benefits the BJP," he said. On the contest in Bhopal, where senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh is pitted against Pragya Singh Thakur, Nath said, "Singh suggested contesting from a difficult seat than his traditional one as he is already a Rajya Sabha member and therefore his contesting from Bhopal." The BJP has no candidate from Bhopal and therefore has put Pragya Singh Thakur, who joined the party a day before her nomination, in the fray, he said.

"With this, the BJP wanted to give a message that it wants to do politics of Hindutva and to divide people... to get benefitted... But people of Bhopal are sensible and I respect them a lot. They will not get into BJP's trap," Nath said, adding people of Bhopal will "not sow a seed that will disrupt their peace in future".