'Modi is a frustrated man': K. Rahman Khan

Union Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan on Saturday lashed out at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over his 'puppy' analogy, and described him as a frustrated man.

"He is a frustrated man. Sometimes he talks of Hinduism and sometimes he talks of nationalism. He changes his statement every time. He is not a stable man," he told the media in Bangalore.

Another Congress leader, Subodh Kant Sahay said that in a peace-loving religion like Hinduism there was no place for a communalist like Modi.

"If he says such a thing, he is speaking out of his mind. His body language portrays his character. Hinduism is the mildest religion. There is no place in this religion for communalism and criminals which Modi is representing through his speech," he told the media in Patna.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murlidhar Rao stood up in defence of Modi, and said that Congress should take concrete steps to combat militancy in the country.

"In response to the Godhra riots, the government did everything possible to prevent reoccurrence of such incidents. Congress should focus on militancy and how to curb it," he said.

Modi has come under sharp criticism from the ruling Congress Party at the Centre over his latest interview to Reuters news agency in which he said that he had done 'absolutely right thing' in 2002 when the state was hit by riots and that an SIT set up by the Supreme Court had given him a 'thoroughly clean chit'.

The Gujarat Chief Minister, who was very recently appointed the BJP's campaign committee chief for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, in an exclusive interview to Reuters news agency at his official residence in Gandhinagar, said that he had been given a clean chit by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team.

"Another thing... someone else is driving a car and we're sitting behind, even then if a puppy comes under the wheel, will be painful or not? Of course, it is. If I'm a chief minister or not, I'm a human being. If something bad happens anywhere, it is natural to be sad," he said, while defending himself.

Modi described himself as a Hindu nationalist because he was a born Hindu.

"I am nationalist. I am patriotic. Nothing is wrong. I'm a born Hindu. Nothing is wrong. So, I am a Hindu nationalist so yes, you can say I am a Hindu nationalist because I am a born Hindu. I am patriotic, so nothing is wrong in it. As far as progressive, development oriented, workaholic, whatever they say, this is what they see. So there's no contradiction between the two," he said.