Advani slams media on Modi ‘vilification’

“I have often felt that in India’s political history no political leader has been as systematically and viciously maligned as Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Bhai Modi. Do not these reports also reveal a conscious effort at vilification?” Advani wrote.

Advani while referring to media reports on former President A P J Abdul Kalam’s book Turning Points where he discusses his visit to the state after the 2002 riots,wrote on the blog that he was surprised to see reports in the media where then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee “was being found fault with for trying to protect the Narendra Modi Government”.

Vajpayee’s casual query to the then President: “Do you consider going to Gujarat at this time essential?” has been read by the media as the Prime Minister wanting to stop the President from going to Gujarat,Advani wrote.

“Dr Kalam has also referred to apprehensions he had heard that his visit may be boycotted. Dr Kalam’s actual experience was totally different. Modi and his government enthusiastically cooperated with Dr Kalam. Yet no newsman thought it worthwhile to report these complimentary observations of his!” he said.