Given the fact that the JD(U), BJP’s alliance partner, harbours reservations against Modi’s credentials on the issue of secularism, the Rajya Sabha MP asserted, “I believe that he is impeccably secular and when I use the word best, it means better than all those, who, according to me, are known aspirants of the job.”
He lamented that ‘secular’ and ‘communal’ categorisations were now being used as “words of abuse than political dialogue”. He alleged that opponents of Modi’s candidature are “those who use the words, don’t even understand its meaning, particularly the word secularism”.
Reminding that he had made this point late last year, Jethmalani derived satisfaction that senior party leader Yashwant Sinha has voiced identical sentiment.