Saturday, January 17, 2009

CPM MP A P Abdullakutty praises Modi, faces ire from his own party

Kannur, Jan 17: CPM MP from Kannur, A P Abdullakutty, whose words of praise for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi did not go down well with the party, said on Friday that his remarks were made with a "good intention of sparking debate on development".

In his reply to the explanation sought by CPM about his controversial comments giving "full marks" to Modi for his development model, Abullakutty said he stood by what he had said but made it clear he was "stiffly opposed to communal policies" of the Chief Minister.

The two-time Lok Sabha MP's comments at a meeting of expatriates in Dubai last month created a flutter in the party circles and the district committee sought an explanation was sought from him.

Abullakutty told the district party secretary that the media had focused only on what he had said about Modi's development model ignoring his firm rejection of the Gujarat chief minister's "communal policy".

Talking to a news channel later, Abdullakutty said he made the commonest with the good intention of sparking a debate on development at a time when the educated youth tend to vote for development.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's three consecutive victories proved this, he said. In sharp contrast, even educated tribals in Jharkhand might not have voted for Sibu Soren, he said.

Abdullakutty had earlier embarrassed the party by performing namaaz openly by turning up at a Idgah in Kannur with some family members and by calling for an introspection on mode of protests like hartals.

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