BHOPAL: Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was set to dismiss Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was Gujarat Chief Minister at the time, after the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

In a Press- programme in Bhopal, Sinha claimed that after the communal riots in Gujarat, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had decided that then state chief minister Narendra Modi should resign. While going to the national executive committee meeting in Goa in 2002, Atal ji had made up his mind that the Gujarat government would be dismissed if Modi ji refused to resign.

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Sinha further added, "There was a meeting within the party. According to my information, Advani ji had opposed this (dismissing the Modi government) and he told Atal ji that if Modi ji is dismissed then he (Advani) would resign from the government. So, he (Vajpayee) withheld the decision and Modi ji continued.”

When asked about PM Modi's allegation on late PM Rajiv Gandhi of  INS Viraat as a "personal taxi", Sinha said, "It is not as per the dignity of a prime minister to speak lies like this," Mr Sinha said, adding the Lok Sabha polls were being fought on PM Modi government's performance and not on the country's history.

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Former Foreign Minister also said that  It is unfortunate that the issue of Pakistan is being raised in the elections. He hyphenated our country with Pakistan. Are we a country of Pakistan's category? There is no talk about China, which must be feeling happy with the Pakistan rhetoric.”