Asked whether the Congress treats Mr Modi as a political challenge and about Union minister Jairam Ramesh’s comments that Mr Modi presented managerial and ideological challenge to the party, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh said, “The very name of Modi and before that of L.K. Advani give an impression of polarisation.
“It is not Modi.
It is the ideology of the Sangh and the BJP which believes in divisive politics. Politics of hatred and violence based on religious lines, which is the challenge,” he said.
Mr Singh side-stepped a query on whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could again be Congress’ PM candidate. “First the country has to give us a mandate again and then the parliamentary party and the party chief have to take a decision in consultation with elected MPs,” he said.
To a question on whether the Left Front, which supported the UPA I government from outside is a natural ally of the Congress, Mr Singh said, “We had very good experience for the first four years of working with the Left in UPA I but unfortunately Left made a big issue of the nuclear bill” and withdrew support to the government. My own perception is that with Left, we know the parametres in which we work together. It is easier to work with the Left because we know the parametres in which they work,” he said.
About the political fallout of the JD(U) walking out NDA in Bihar and whether it can be a part of UPA, Mr Singh said this is an issue which has to be considered by the Congress high command.