Modi’s 'sadbhavna' akin to soft Hindutva of the Congress

Even as it raises questions about his motives and mocks at his plight in refusing to accept a skull cap from an Imam, the Congress has an element of empathy with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s sadbhavna efforts.”This is akin to our soft Hindutva. Just as we attempted a course and image correction through soft Hindutva, he is trying to soften the Muslims through his Sadbhavna Mission, and we can say with confidence that this effort would fail,” said a senior Congress general secretary.

This is a cautious internal assessment as well, even as the party realises that it does not have the political artillery to counter Modi in Gujarat.  Nevertheless it fires salvos at him. “Who would be the Gujarat chief minister in 2012, if he is aiming to be the prime minister in 2014,” queried party spokesperson Renuka Chaudhary ignoring the obvious response that nothing stops Modi from capturing Gujarat in 2012 and then having a shot at the prime ministerial throne in 2014.

The fast has, however, offered the Congress opportunities to have a go at him. “What does he mean by claiming that he has done nothing for the minority community or for the majority community?

Beyond delivering such well-rehearsed dialogues, he has nothing to offer even to the activists who were protesting,” observed Chaudhary adding the ‘no-show’ had only established that Modi is an ‘arrogant and intolerant’ person.

On BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Mehbooba Mufti spat, she said, “When they are saying contradictory things, then it is obviously that someone has a problem with the memory of the same event”.