New Delhi, Apr 03: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has expressed his displeasure at the level of political mudslinging in the electoral campaigns.
"I am a participant of electoral politics, but I never knew that one day I would see such low level politics," said Vajpayee.
His comments come even as some members of his own party have carried out a sustained attack on the Opposition.
And one of them is perhaps Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has been in the news for his fiery speeches.
But the Congress claims he's gone too far in his criticism of Party President Sonia Gandhi and her family.
During the Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's Bharat Uday Yatra, he is reported to have said that no one would hire Sonia even as a clerk or employ Rahul as their driver.
Not surprisingly, these statements have got the Congress party fuming.
"He has proved that he's just like his party's symbol, a lotus that grows in dirt. But the dirt that he has flung affects not just the Congress, but all Gujaratis as well. It's shameful," said Shaktisinh Gohil, spokesperson, Congress.
Many people in Gujarat also feel political leaders should have a rein on what they say, as it reflects on the state.
"This is not the way to speak, that's all that I have to say. Everyone will think that Gujarati people speak like that," said a local. "This is not in Gujarati tradition," said another resident.
Bureau Report
