India will be a house divided if BJP's Narendra Modi becomes prime minister, former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said Tuesday, expressing concern over big industrialists rooting for Modi.
"Not only Muslims are scared. Do you think Hindus are also not in their senses that they will bring Narendra Modi to power? The country will not remain united. It will be in flames," the Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member said at a rally in Burdwan town, around 100 km from Kolkata.
"This will lead to danger," Bhattacharjee said, launching a stringent attack on Modi, who is being projected as the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate.
He said neither farmers nor the poor people of Gujarat were cheering for Modi.
On the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002 during Modi's tenure, Bhattacharjee said: "Dangerous times lie ahead. On one side, there are the memories of the riots and on the other, we see him getting the support of big industrialists."
Bhattacharjee also criticised West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, and on its reported tie-up with the BJP.
"Are we saying something new? Didn't the Trinamool forge an alliance with the BJP in the past?" he asked.
"Don't allow the BJP-Trinamool combine to gain ground. We, the Left parties, will strongly oppose the combination."
