Congress leader Digvijay Singh takes a dig at Modi

Indore, Sep 19 (ANI): Taking a dig at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his ongoing 'harmony fast', senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh said that he was glad that Modi has embraced the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi instead of Guru Golwalkar.

"I am very happy that he (Narendra Modi) has embraced Mahatma Gandhi after leaving Guru Guru Golwalkar (former chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). May god bless him with wisdom," Singh told reporters.

Singh, who was chief minister of Madhya Pradesh from 1993 to 2003, said BJP-led state government was inefficient and people of the state would not elect it in the next assembly polls.

"The central government is giving five times more grant since my time but roads are not is proper condition. They have bank deposit of rupees 8,000 crore from which they are earning profit. But they (state government) are unable to maintain roads properly. During my time, I had to sign overdraft because federal government didn't give me grant. The production of electricity is same as it was during mine time. The efficiency has declined. They are not able to use coal. There is total anarchy. The countdown of the BJP government has began," added Singh.

Modi began a "harmony fast" on Saturday to soften his image as a hardliner blamed for religious riots that claimed thousands of lives.

The fast is seen as a bid by Modi and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to launch him as a national leader as the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government loses popularity over inflation and corruption scams.

Seizing the moment after the Supreme Court referred to a lower court a case in which Modi was accused of complicity in the 2002 violence, he is using the fast to depict himself as a conciliator with a strong record on the economy.

Modi, who celebrated his 61st birthday on Saturday, said 11 percent annual growth showed Gujarat had recovered from the riots that killed more than 1,000 people and was now peaceful.

After leading Gujarat for the past decade, there has been speculation Modi would seek a greater role in national politics as the contender for the Prime Minister's post in the next general elections. (ANI)