CM or PM: Modi's slip of tongue

AHMEDABAD: Is Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi harbouring ambitions of becoming prime minister? He almost admitted as much while addressing a rally, before he corrected himself just in time.

Addressing a well-attended rally, Modi in his trademark style was engaging the audience in a question and answer session. He nearly asked those gathered whether they wanted to see him as the prime minister, he stopped after saying 'pradhan...' for pradhan mantri or prime minister and quickly corrected himself to say 'mukhya mantri' or chief minister.

BJP president Rajnath Singh, sharing the dais, showed no signs of noticing the gaffe.

Many would call it a Freudian slip that gives a new twist to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's earlier remark that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named LK Advani as its prime ministerial candidate because it was afraid of Modi.