Amid insistence by ally JD-U on projecting a "secular" leader as NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate, BJP today said Narendra Modi is "totally secular" and sought to justify it by saying no riots took place in Gujarat during his rule.
The party also attacked the Congress saying it was suffering from "Modiphobia" as one of its leaders raked up the 2002 Gujarat riots and drew a parallel with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
"Gujarat has a history of riots in the past. There has been no riot in Gujarat during the last 12 years of Modi's regime. This is a proof of his good governance and his being totally secular," BJP spokesperson Capt Abhimanyu said.
"Congress' efforts to compare the 1984 anti-Sikh riots with the 2002 Gujarat riots depicts that Congress has Modiphobia," he told reporters.
He criticised Oil Minister Veerappa Moily for comparing the 1984 anti-Sikh riot accused Jagdish Tytler with 2002 Gujarat riots and said they cannot be compared.
"Moily's comparison of 1984 riots with 2002 Gujarat riots is mere cheating. We criticise the remarks made by Moily," he said.
He said the Supreme Court has given its go-ahead for reopening the case against him in the anti-Sikh riots case, while there is nothing against Modi and making such a comparison is unjustified.
"We are surprised that a person like Veerappa Moily, who has good knowledge of law and has been a senior Central Minister, make such a comment," he said, adding, "The whole nation knows that the Congress leaders had a direct role in the Sikh riots."
Capt Abhimanyu said while Congress leaders have been "indicted" by various Commissions appointed for looking into the 1984 riots against Sikhs, there is no indictment or case made out against the Narendra Modi in the Gujarat riots that took place in the aftermath of the Godhra incident.
