Modi is impeccably secular: Jethmalani

New Delhi  :  While supporting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, suspended party leader Ram Jethmalani Tuesday said that Modi was “impeccably secular”.

“Modi in my definition of secularism is 100 percent secular and his enemies and detractors have done their best to silence him by disseminating untruth and creating false evidence supporting their false claims. I believe he is impeccably secular,” Jethmalani told reporters here.

A day after senior party leader Yashwant Sinha openly backed Modi to be projected as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate for 2013, Jethmalani Tuesday seconded his opinion.

“Narendra bhai is the best prime minister of the country, nothing has happened to change my mind. Yashwant Sinha has supported my view, and I am very happy,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

Asked that ally Janata Dal-United (JD-U) could walk out of the National Democratic alliance (NDA) following this, Jethmalani said: “I don’t think that will happen, but if it happens, let it happen.”

“Tomorrow if like my friend Sharad Yadav, some new gem of purist race turns up and declares he is also an aspirant, there is enough time to evaluate his candidature.”

“This is democracy, everybody has the right to proclaim his candidature, but at the present moment I still think Modi is the best and Sharad Yadav has said nothing to the contrary,” Jethmalani said.

The JD-U, which is the second largest party in the NDA led by the BJP, has been against projecting Modi for the top post, as his name has been in controversy over to 2002 Gujarat riots.

“They should announce the candidate. It is inconvenient for people in democracy to know after election who their prime minister should be,” he added.

The BJP has officially not made any decision about its contender for the top post so far.

File Photo : AFP