BJP leader flays senior scribe over anti-Modi remarks

Leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Vinod Tawde today assailed veteran journalist Kumar Ketkar for his alleged remarks calling BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi a "symbol of hatred".

"Ketkar has lost his mental balance," Tawde said, reacting to Ketkar's remarks which he reportedly made at the all-India Marathi literary meet in Pune district today.

Addressing the delegates at the annual literary meet, Ketkar, editor of Marathi newspaper Divya Marathi, had said, "Modi is a symbol of hatred. If you make such a person the prime minister, be ready to bear the consequences."

Ketkar had described the BJP's prime ministerial candidate a "person who spreads a destructive message... A person who seeks to partition the country.