BJP, Modi 'damaging' to India's secular ethos: Farooq Abdullah

Chairperson of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Farooq Abdullah on Sunday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) poses a 'dangerous' and 'damaging' threat to the country's secular credentials, and reiterated that his party is strongly opposed to their ideology.

"As far as the National Conference goes, we have nothing to do with Modi's nomination or the BJP. We want to stay as far as possible from them. We are not going to make any compromise on that," Abdullah said.

"We believe that that will be dangerous and damaging to the Indian secular ethos," he added.

Earlier today, a two-day high level 'Samanvay Baithak meeting' of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders began in New Delhi amidst speculations that BJP poll panel chief Narendra Modi likely to be declared as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections.

According to reports, Rajnath Singh, who held back the announcement in the hope of achieving unanimity on Modi, has decided to go ahead despite continuing reservations from a couple of senior leaders.

He conveyed his readiness to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday and followed that up by apprising former BJP chief Murli Manohar Joshi of the same on Thursday.

The BJP President had earlier said the criticism of Modi has increased after he was made the party's campaign committee chief, and added that such attacks by the political opponents would increase in the days to come.