Amarinder slams Modi over Time magazine article

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Saturday slammed Narendra Modi over a Time magazine article which called the prime minister "divider in chief", and asked people to vote for the Congress for "country's unity".

While addressing a poll rally here, Singh cited the article and said, "It showed what the international community thought of Modi who lowered India's prestige in the global arena".

The piece, a sharp criticism of Modi's leadership, has been written by Aatish Taseer, son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani politician and businessman Salmaan Taseer.

Singh said leaders like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had earned for the nation at global forums such as the United Nations.

He alleged Modi's "shameful" attempts to "destroy" the secular fabric of the country were a "threat" to its very existence.

He exhorted people to vote for the future and unity of India, whose diversity and secularism were its core strengths. "India needs a government that can keep it united, not leaders like Modi who are out to destroy the nation's unity," he alleged.

Singh said Modi has hit "an all-time low" with his speeches, which was a first for the country. "The fight today is for saving the country," he asserted.

Apologising for the delay in reaching Bhoa, the CM alleged that he was denied permission to land in Pathankot on the "petty instructions" of the Modi government.

"These were the cheap tactics that the prime minister was resorting to in sheer panic, in the face of BJP's imminent defeat in these polls."