Modi has staged 'fake encounter' with facts: Chidambaram

Finance Minister P Chidambaram today hit back at Narendra Modi for his "recount" dig at him, saying the Gujarat Chief Minister has once again staged a "fake encounter" with facts on the issue and that there was never a recount in the 2009 Lok Sabha election in his Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu.

In a statement here, he said Modi has once again staged a "fake encounter" with facts at his public meeting near Chennai last night when he referred to him as "recount minister".

"The fact is that in the 2009 election from Sivaganga Parliamentary constituency the votes were counted only once. There was no recount. In fact, the complaint of the defeated candidate is that his belated request for recount was rejected the Returning Office. "Everybody (except Mr Modi) knows this fact. I am sure he will stage more fake encounters with facts and entertain people," Chidambaram said.

His repeated reference to "fake encounter" is an apparent taunt at the various alleged fake encounters in Gujarat in Modi's tenure to eliminate suspected terrorists and the controversies that stemmed from there.

The minister plans to issue a detailed statement tomorrow with facts and figures on Modi's criticism about him on the handling of the economy and the current situation.