Modi's 'Pak conspiracy' remark worrisome in a democracy: Left

New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “conspiracy with Pakistan” remark against his predecessor Manmohan Singh creates ripples, the Left and JD(U) called the development “worrisome and not proper” in a democracy.

They said the prime minister should take action based on evidence if there was any “seriousness” in his allegations, and not raise the same in Gujarat poll campaign. “He is dragging Pakistan into a domestic poll…if he is serious, he should have taken up the issue with the Congress.

As the head of the government, he could have taken appropriate action. Instead of that, he is making it a poll issue. I think it is not proper in democracy,” senior CPI leader D Raja said. The CPI(M) general secretary said the details as revealed by Modi were “shocking”.

“Will the prime minister of the country act?” he asked. JD(U) leader Pavan Varma said Modi should be talking about governance in Gujarat than such issues. “But instead, he starts talking about Pakistan interfering in Gujarat. (What he said) has to be based more on evidence than what (Congress leader) Mani Shankar Aiyar had said,” he said.

Addressing an election rally in Palanpur in Gujarat yesterday, Modi suggested that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly polls in the state. He claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s house on December 6 to discuss the matter.

It was also a day before Aiyar’s “neech” jibe against Modi that led to the former’s suspension from Congress.