New Delhi, May 19
There seems to be no end to woes of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance as senior Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav today lashed out at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the post-Godhra riots holding him responsible for the alliance defeat in the Lok Sabha poll.

“In NDA, we had the biggest regret for the Gujarat riot,” Mr Yadav said in an interview to the weekly Outlook.

After the Telgu Desam Party supremo Chandrababu Naidu and former Gujarat Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari coming out against Mr Modi and holding the Gujarat Chief Minister as one of the main reasons for the NDA’s defeat, Mr Yadav’s comments on the NDA and his party President George Fernandes are bound to create serious divisions within the alliance.

On the issue of the denial of a US visa to Mr Modi, Mr Yadav said there should have been a national debate on the issue but it did not happen.

However, Mr Yadav, without naming Mr Fernandes directly, had a dig at him saying that not only Mr Modi but there are some other people also who get subjected to humiliation in their “great love to visit the USA”.

“They even agree to take off their clothes and become naked. But these shameless people don't get affected”, Mr Yadav said and advised such people to take inspiration from Gandhiji and Mao.

In his interview, Mr Yadav regretted that though he along with the Telugu Desam Party had decided to launch a ‘’decisive battle’’ in the NDA on the Gujarat issue but Mr Naidu issued the statement on this matter alone, so it had not been possible.

The JD (U) leader said that during the Gujarat riots he had talked to the then Prime Minister Mr A.B. Vajpayee twice but claimed that Mr Vajpayee’s attitude indicated that he would not convey the NDA’s feeling on the issue during his visit to the state. ‘’But after we talked to him, he even talked about it there but it could not be implemented,’’ he said.

Mr Yadav lauded the UPA government for reducing the communal tension inflated by the Gujarat riots and statements of people like VHP leader Praveen Togadia. However, he said that the Manmohan Singh government has neither done anything for the working class nor taken any steps to reduce unemployment.

Criticising the disinvestment policy of the former NDA government, the JD(U) leader said that as the Civil Aviation Minister, he had not allowed disinvestment in Indian Airlines and Air India.

“I was also against disinvestment of the Centaur Hotel in Mumbai and other ITDC hotels, but my cabinet colleagues like Mr Arun Shourie and Mr Yashwant Sinha were involved in disinvestment with missionary zeal. Even (then) Prime Minister Vajpayee also felt disinvestment was essential. In my opinion, 20 per cent ‘’heartless people,’’ influenced by the USA and Europe, are taking India to Dark Ages,’’ he alleged.

Speaking about the political crisis in Bihar, Mr Yadav held the Anti-Defection Act passed by the former NDA government responsible.

According to the JD (U) leader, the act was against the basic tenet of democratic polity. He said that he had criticised it in the Cabinet meetings, saying that nowhere in the world did such a law exist.