Modi left door open for post-poll talks with Mamata: Biman Bose

Left Front chairman Biman Bose Wednesday said Narendra Modi's soft stand on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was a ploy to "keep the door open" for post-Lok Sabha poll negotiations.

The Gujarat chief minister launched the Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign in the state Wednesday with a rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds here.

"Actually I feel that Modi has kept open the door for Trinamool Congress so they can negotiate in the post poll situation... probably that is their goal... that is why they didn't criticise the state government (in the rally Wednesday)," Bose told the media here.

"They didn't say anything against the state government," he said.

Bose also said that at the rally the state BJP members refrained from deriding the Trinamool Congress government on issues of crimes against women which is in sharp contrast to earlier occasions when they had torn apart Banerjee's government.

"The state BJP leaders earlier criticised the Bengal government over molestations but today at the rally they didn't pass a single comment on the series of molestations," he said.

Modi accused the Congress and the Gandhi family of denying the post of prime minister to Pranab Mukherjee twice - in 1984 and 2004 - despite his qualifications.

Bose reacted by saying that Modi resorts to "double opinions".

"Those who are habituated to expressing views, keeping double opinion, they sometimes do this. The way he has shown sympathy for Pranab (Mukherjee) today, he and his party didn't show any sympathy for Pranab during the presidential election," he said.

He said that Modi, like Banerjee at her rally a few days back, failed to mention policies they would implement for progress.

"Modi didn't mention policies, nor did Banerjee during her rally. It was a completely conducted programme. He has become chief minister of Gujarat. But he seems to have a lot of spare time for touring other parts of the country," Bose added.