Narendra Modi's no holds barred attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Independence Day today drew an indirect rebuke from senior BJP leader L K Advani who also got the backing of key NDA ally Shiv Sena.
Advani, who has voiced reservations about the elevation of the Gujarat Chief Minister as BJP's national election campaign chief, said that on a day like Independence Day leaders should not be critical of others.
"I heard the Prime Minister today...Today on Independence Day, without criticising anybody, we all should realise that India has unlimited potential for the future," he said, striking a completely different note from Modi.
Advani was speaking at his residence here after hoisting the national flag, moments after Modi spoke at the Independence Day function in Bhuj in Gujarat, where he made a blistering attack on the prime minister.
Advani, BJP Parliamentary Party chief, struck an optimistic note about the future.
"India has unlimited potential for the future. This past decade which--as the Prime Minister said today--will get over in 2014. He has enumerated the achievements and the shortcomings of this decade. We should now be concerned about making the decade starting from 2014 an unprecedented one in India's history. We should give it the best performance we can," Advani said.
Backing Advani, Shiv Sena said there are 364 other days in the year to comment on the Prime Minister.
"We have the entire year ahead of us to comment on what the Prime Minister says. Today we must listen to him and let the criticism for some other day," Sena leader Sanjay Raut said. Leaders should try to avoid politics on the occasion of Independence Day, Raut told PTI in Mumbai.
Modi blamed the prime minister for not taking a strong stand on Pakistan, failing to revive the economy and for massive corruption in the country.
He also challenged the prime minister to a public debate on governance, saying the nation is "restless for change".
