Thursday, May 19 2005 16:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Barely a week after former Gujarat Governor S S Bhandari attacked the handling of the post-Godhra riots by the Modi Government and the Centre, key BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) ally and senior JDU (Janata Dal United) leader Sharad Yadav today (May 19, 2005) said the violence in the State was one of the key factors responsible for NDA's (National Democratic Alliance) debacle in the Lok Sabha polls.

In a no-holds-barred interview to Hindi weekly 'Outlook', the Chairman of the JDU Parliamentary Board indirectly attacked his own party President George Fernandes for the strip search he had to undergo in the United States and heaped lavish praise on the UPA Government for controlling "elements like VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) leader Praveen Togadia".

"I have always felt strongly about what Bhandari has said now. I spoke twice to the Prime Minister (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) during the riots but from his approach, it did not appear that he would echo NDA's sentiments there or would strictly implement NDA's agenda.

"We talked to him and he did say it there but it was not implemented. In between, myself and TDP (Telugu Desam Party) leader Chandrababu Naidu also discussed it and we decided to go for a fight to finish but he (Naidu) issued a separate statement and it could not proceed further. If there is anything over which we feel sorry in NDA, it is Gujarat", he said.

Asked whether BJP should have removed Narendra Modi, he said it was an internal matter of the party but "Gujarat was a major cause for NDA's defeat and even in BJP there is a churning of thoughts on this issue".