Modi not a national leader, says Congress

A day after Narendra Modi launched an attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla Monday said the Gujarat chief minister did not have the stature to be country's prime minister.

"The kind of language that Modi used does not suit any leader of national stature. I think he is yet not capable of attaining the stature of a national leader," Shukla told reporters outside parliament.

The Gujarat chief minister has emerged as a strong contender for prime minister's post from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In his speech at BJP's national council meet Sunday, Modi called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a "night watchman" and said Pranab Mukherjee would have made a much better prime minister.

Without taking names, he also slammed the Nehru-Gandhi family saying the Congress has kept the welfare of a "family" above the welfare of the nation.

"His speech is a bundle of lies. He is now expressing liking for Pranab Mukherjee. Why did Modi not support Mukherjee in the presidential elections? National Democratic Alliance allies (Bihar chief minister) Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena had done so. This is double speak," he said. - IANS