BJP leader flays senior scribe over anti-Modi remarks

Mumbai: Leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Vinod Tawde on Saturday assailed veteran journalist Kumar Ketkar for his alleged remarks calling BJP`s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi a "symbol of hatred".

"Ketkar has lost his mental balance," Tawde said, reacting to Ketkar`s remarks which he reportedly made at the all-India Marathi literary meet in Pune district today. Addressing the delegates at the annual literary meet, Ketkar, editor of Marathi newspaper Divya Marathi, had said, "Modi is a symbol of hatred. If you make such a person the prime minister, be ready to bear the consequences." Ketkar had described the BJP`s prime ministerial candidate a "person who spreads a destructive message... A person who seeks to partition the country."