Secular forces should combine to face Modi's 'onslaught': PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday uncharacteristically took a jibe at Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, when he said the nation's secular forces must unite to face the 'onslaught' of the Gujarat chief minister.

"I sincerely hope that all secular forces would combine to face the onslaught of people like Mr. Narendra Modi. And, I have every reason to believe that that will happen. You wait for some time before the people realise what they are up against," Dr. Singh said onboard Air India One, when asked if Modi is a threat to the nation's secular polity.

The Prime Minister was speaking shortly before landing in New Delhi on Tuesday night from Frankfurt, Germany.

While Dr. Singh was on a week-long visit to the United States, Modi had criticised him for not resigning from office in the wake of the disrespect shown to him by the Congress Party and for taking a soft stance with Pakistan.

Modi addressed a massive rally in the national capital-his first as BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections-and said the country was burdened by "governments within governments", as the credibility of Prime Minister Singh had been hit by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's criticism of a Congress Core Committee and Union cabinet approved ordinance.

"The pride of the Prime Minister has been brought down by his own party. Congress party vice president has committed the sin of disrespecting the Prime Minister," Modi said at the September 29 rally in the national capital.

"The dynasty (Gandhi family) is strangling (Indian) democracy," Modi added.