RSS rushes to Modi146;s defence

Atal Behari Vajpayee8217;s Manali remarks on the Gujarat riots have predictably rubbed the Sangh patriarch the wrong way. In what clearly looks like a virtual endorsement of 8216;Vajpayee allergy8217; in the RSS and a harbinger of a possible anti-Vajpayee campaign within the Sangh Parivar, Sarsanghchalak K.S. Sudershan said, 8216;8216;Some people, who call themselves modern, liberal and broad-minded have been endeavouring to keep the Gujarat riots alive.8217;8217;

8216;8216;Our former PM says Gujarat riots were a reason for the BJP8217;s defeat. How is it then that the BJP didn8217;t lose in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh,8217;8217; Sudershan asked, addressing a gathering of RSS volunteers at the concluding ceremony of their all-India camp in Nagpur on Sunday.

8216;8216;The so-called liberal people, including English newspapers and electronic media, kept on discussing the reaction and totally sidelines the reason for riots, that is the Godhra incident,8217;8217; Sudershan added.

The RSS chief virtually defended the Modi government, saying that only 60-70 towns and villages out of the total 18,000 were affected by riots. 8216;8216;As soon as the Army was called in, the riots were controlled within three days. Muharram and school examinations went off peacefully,8217;8217; he said and claimed that the rioters included people even from the Congress.