Gujarat verdict is a call for secular forces to unite, says Congress

Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Sunday said that the defeat of his party in the Gujarat Assembly elections would help in uniting the secular forces in the country.

New Delhi, Dec 23 : Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Sunday said that the defeat of his party in the Gujarat Assembly elections would help in uniting the secular forces in the country.

"All the secular forces in the country, including the so called Third Front, should unite with the Congress, if they are committed to the secular ideology of the country," Moily told ANI as the BJP marched ahead to absolute majority in the State.

Moily said that the victory of Narendra Modi is "not in the interest of the nation," since "he (Modi) believes in divisive politics," and added that the Gujarat Chief Minister never campaigned on a developmental plank.

On being asked about the ramifications of the Gujarat verdict on the national politics, he said that Modi's victory would not have any impact on it.

"The BJP has lost its liberal face, given by Atal Behari Vajpayee," Moily added.

Stating that the Congress' plan to depend on the BJP rebels in Gujarat's Saurashtra region proved out to be counter-productive for the party, Moily admitted that it was a mistake.

However, he added that there was nothing wrong in the 'merchants of death' remark by Congress President Sonia Gandhi since the Congress has always objected to Modi's divisive politics.

"We want to take all sections of the society in our stride," he added.

ANI