Modi is not a stronger candidate than Vajpayee, Advani: Chidambaram

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Oct 7: Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is not a stronger candidate than former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or senior BJP leader LK Advani.

In an interview to Reuters, Chidambaram said, "Don’t write us off early, we aren’t facing a Vajpayee today. We are facing a Narendra Modi who has a very very checkered track record." He added, "I don’t think that Narendra Modi is a stronger candidate than either Vajpayee or Advani."

 

Finance Minister highlighted that corruption is an issue. "But it is an issue in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, is an issue in Gujarat." The Congress has not joined the BJP in debate yet and the debate will not take place in Hindi alone. "Debate will happen in Tamil, Telegu, Assamese, Bengali and you will see the difference," said Chidambaram.

The remarks came at a time when the five-poll bound states will go to elections between November 11 and December 4 and the Lok Sabha polls are due for next year. The BJP had elected Modi as their prime ministerial candidate who is holding a series of rallies across the country and is hitting out at the Congress.