Dikshit takes on Modi, calls him divisive figure

New Delhi: He does not represent the ethos of India, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday said of her Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi, dismissing him as a divisive figure. Dikshit, a senior Congress leader who is poised to seek an unprecedented fourth term as Delhi`s Chief Minister in November, told a news agency that there was no comparison between the Gujarat leader and Rahul Gandhi. "One (Rahul) is totally secular and the other (Modi) is totally communal," Dikshit said while describing the BJP leader as "dictatorial" in nature. Dikshit`s remark comes in the backdrop of a section of BJP leaders clamouring for Modi to be made as the party`s Prime Ministerial candidate in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. "He (Modi) is so difficult to judge because he is so full of himself...I do not think he represents the ethos of India. I think, we as Indians believe in the philosophy of live and let live. I do not think he represents that at all," she said. Dikshit also criticised Modi`s development model, saying it was "skewed" as a large section of population are left out. She also questioned the figures being projected by the Gujarat Chief Minister and said some of them are "false figures". Asked whether Modi was trying to shift the focus from the 2002 Gujarat riots to his development model while setting his eye on prime ministership, Dikshit replied in affirmative and said, "I wish he came out as somebody who is more sincere. Somewhat the warmth and sincerity is not there." On why India Inc hails Modi, she said some of them (corporates) had told her that the Gujarat Chief Minister has ideas but he is "mercurial and somewhat untrustworthy". "Today Gujarat should have been a booming state which is not. It is in the eighth position," she said. "Yes, it is a serious matter. You cannot polarise the country which is so diverse. How can you do it? Many of the figures that are talked about are false figures...Somehow he (Modi) has this kind of dictatorial (nature) and nobody questions it," Dikshit said when asked whether she subscribed to the observation that Modi was a polarising figure. She said the people will soon realise whether the Gujarat success story is a myth or not. Dikshit also said winning consecutive elections might give one a pivotal role in the politics of the country, but it does not make one a Prime Minister. "Your party has to win for anybody to become a Prime Minister, it`s the first requirement. So once let that get fulfilled and then let his party (BJP) decide," she said. Dikshit claimed there was no across the board opinion even in the BJP that Modi will be the choice for the top post. "So by the time the picture is clear, it`s tough to tell," she said. Asked about what qualities she sees in Rahul Gandhi which could make him a good Prime Minister, she said the Congress Vice-President has "tremendous commitment" and desire to learn. "All that I have seen of him is tremendous commitment and his desire to learn. He is not one of those who says that every step of mine should lead to success. He takes a risk, he goes ahead, he knows he is making some mistakes, but he doesn`t neither gets depressed by the mistakes nor get too elated by successes. "It`s in him. He has to have an opportunity," the Delhi Chief Minister said. On her remarks that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is opposed to Modi, was doing a good job, she said he was also going through a "difficult period". "He is generally respected as a good chief minister." Asked whether the JD(U) may support a Congress-led coalition at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls, Dikshit said, "I cannot say. Politics is the art of the possible, the probable and the needy." PTI