New Delhi: Smack in the middle of the national election that many believe it can't win, the Congress has taken to a new line of offensive to target Narendra Modi, using his own party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Mr Vajpayee's image was prominent on the Congress' official website today, with a message that invoked the former prime minister's words in 2002, during the riots in Mr Modi's Gujarat.
"Modi did not follow Rajdharma (A ruler's duty)", said the Congress' ad, calling it the fundamental cause of Mr Vajpayee's pain.
"Just think! Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vapayee did not think this man deserved to be chief minister, can you put the country's future in his hands?" says the ad.
The BJP's Nirmala Sitharaman said, "They are so weak they now need brownie points from Vajpayee. It clearly shows they are frustrated and will go to any length to stop Modi."
Mr Vajpayee, 89, considered the BJP's tallest leader, retired from active politics in 2006. He was Prime Minister from 1998 to 2004.
During the Gujarat violence in February, 2002, Mr Vajpayee had reportedly told Mr Modi, the Chief Minister, that "Rajdharma should be followed." (read: Modi denies Vajpayee rapped him over Rajdharma)
Mr Modi's critics say he didn't do enough to check the violence that left nearly 1,000 dead, mostly Muslims. A Supreme Court monitored inquiry said it found no evidence of Mr Modi's role in the riots, an assessment that was upheld by a trial court last year. (Gujarat court accepts clean chit to Narendra Modi in 2002 riots)
The Congress website says: "No leader in the BJP can match the stature of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Mr Vajpayee was clear what was the reason for the defeat. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's failure to control the communal pogrom in his state in 2002. He believed that the party will lose its credibility unless it took action against Mr Modi. (sic)"
The party goes on to quote Jaswant Singh, a former minister who was close to Mr Vajpayee, as saying that Mr Vajpayee had threatened to resign unless the BJP took action against Mr Modi.
Jaswant Singh was expelled for six years last month by the BJP for defying it.
Mr Vajpayee's image was prominent on the Congress' official website today, with a message that invoked the former prime minister's words in 2002, during the riots in Mr Modi's Gujarat.
"Modi did not follow Rajdharma (A ruler's duty)", said the Congress' ad, calling it the fundamental cause of Mr Vajpayee's pain.
The BJP's Nirmala Sitharaman said, "They are so weak they now need brownie points from Vajpayee. It clearly shows they are frustrated and will go to any length to stop Modi."
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During the Gujarat violence in February, 2002, Mr Vajpayee had reportedly told Mr Modi, the Chief Minister, that "Rajdharma should be followed." (read: Modi denies Vajpayee rapped him over Rajdharma)
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The Congress website says: "No leader in the BJP can match the stature of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Mr Vajpayee was clear what was the reason for the defeat. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's failure to control the communal pogrom in his state in 2002. He believed that the party will lose its credibility unless it took action against Mr Modi. (sic)"
The party goes on to quote Jaswant Singh, a former minister who was close to Mr Vajpayee, as saying that Mr Vajpayee had threatened to resign unless the BJP took action against Mr Modi.
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