After Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has downplayed the 'crippling blow' Gujarat CM Narendra Modi felt during the communal riots of 2002. Modi spoke about the riots in a latest blogpost.
In an interview with CNBC-TV, Chidambaram mocked prime ministerial candidate Modi upon reading his blog saying that the latter might have been filled with the 'spirit of Christmas'. "Don't think Modi has come to terms with the enormity of what happened," he told the news channel on Monday.
A day after a Gujarat local court gave a clean chit to the BJP leader regarding the riots, Modi posted saying, "I was shaken to the core. 'Grief', 'Sadness', 'Misery', 'Pain', 'Anguish', 'Agony' - mere words could not capture the absolute emptiness one felt on witnessing such inhumanity."
However, the BJP prime ministerial nominee received criticism for delay in expressing his anguish for the riots by several Opposition leaders including Sibal and Chidambaram.
Chidambaram said that Modi should have acknowledged the moral responsibility and apologized for the Gulbarg society massacre during 2002 riots. "Not talking about crime, I am talking about ministerial responsibility," he said.
On Monday, Sibal reiterated his rebuttal on Modi's blog saying, "If he was silent for 11yrs why did he not speak if he was so emotive about it? Those who have emotions don't wait for the right time to express it."
Sibal hinted that the 'harrowing ordeal' Modi talked in his blog is a political gimmick as he has been campaigning for the prime ministerial race in upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
"Everything about the man is immensely political, what we want is a PM who is human, who can feel, who has emotions. People want a PM who can feel for the people not just for himself. This political statement that he has given, am sure people won't be misled by it," Sibal told ANI.
