Jaswant Singh criticises PM for Modi remarks

A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it will be "disastrous for the country" to have Narendra Modi at the helm, veteran BJP leader Jaswant Singh Saturday criticised him for his "uncharacteristically sharp" remarks.

"The language which he employed was uncharacteristically sharp. I am saddened by it," Jaswant Singh said on the sidelines of the relaunch of the book "Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim" by Sunanda K. Datta-Ray.

"There is nothing illuminating in what he said and normally prime ministers must not single out chief ministers and subject them to sharp criticism."

In a rare media meet, Manmohan Singh Friday sharply attacked BJP's prime ministerial candidate Modi.

"If by strong prime minister you mean that you preside over the mass massacre of innocent citizens in the streets of Ahmedabad, that is the measure of strength, I do not believe that sort of strength this country needs, least of all in its prime minister," he said.

"Without discussing the merits of Narendra Modi, I sincerely believe that it will be disastrous for the country to have Modi as the PM," Manmohan Singh said.