Shinde fears for safety of women if Modi becomes PM

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday said he shudders to think what would happen to the safety of women should BJP leader Narendra Modi become the next prime minister of India.

Directly attacking the BJP prime ministerial candidate during a press conference here, Shinde said everyone was aware of what Modi had done in connection with the Snoopgate row.

"When as CM, he was snooping on women, what will happen to the safety of women if he becomes PM?" Shinde asked.

Confirming what Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal had said earlier in the day, Shinde said that a judge will be appointed soon to probe the Snoopgate row.

Sibal had announced that a judge will be appointed before May 16 for investigating Snoopgate.

Shinde also said that he had known Modi for 15 years, and it was only now that he was getting know that the latter was a chaiwala or tea seller in his early years.

"I have known Modi ji for 15 years. Never in this time span has he ever mentioned that he was a 'chaiwala'. Its only since the last six months he had started selling tea, only to strike chord with the people," Shinde said

On the probe into the bomb blasts that took place on the Bangalore-Guwahati train at Chennai Central Railway Station on Thursday, Shinde said that the CB-CID is probing the incident.

On the violence in Kokrajhar, Assam, he said ten paramilitary companies have been sent to the state to bring the situation under control.

He said that violence was unfortunate and should not have happened.