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Narendra Modi's barbs at Congress 'wearing the burqa' of secularism triggered a fresh war of words with the party hitting back at him while senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha was worried that the 'spurious' communal-secular debate would only help the ruling party.
Sinha appeared to counsel Modi not to fall into the 'trap' of Congress which would only benefit from such a debate to cover up its government's grave financial mismanagement that would take the country into a 'dark future'.
Modi's attack in Pune yesterday that the Congress wore the burqa of secularism to hide its failures whenever it was in crisis stung the party which attacked Modi saying that the burqa (veil) of secularism was better than 'naked communalism'.
'The burqa of communalism is much better than naked communalism. While communalism divides, secularism binds,' Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken told a specially convened press conference.
His party colleague and Union Minister Manish Tewari said the choice before the people was an inclusive India or an India which is sectarian.I
'The vision of the Congress party is pluralistic and inclusive. And the vision of the section of the opposition has been sectarian, majoritarian and communal right from the beginning,' Tewari said.
Yet another minister Shashi Tharoor also joined the debate reminding Modi of his RSS pracharak days and saying secularism burqa was preferable to the 'khaki shorts of the Italian fascists which signify intolerance nad hatred'.
