One family has ruined everything in India: Modi

NAGPUR: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a scathing attack on the Gandhi-Nehru family alleging that a "conspiracy" has been hatched to promote the family posing a danger to the future of the country.

"Ek parivar ke ateet ko age badane ke liye jo shadayantra chal raha hai usse Hindustan ke bhavishya ko khatra hai (Conspiracy to promote one family's past is posing danger for the future of the country)," Modi said without directly naming the Gandhi-Nehru family but the indication was obvious.

Noting that members of the family have ruled the country for as many as 37 years, he said that if the past five years were also taken into account, then it would be a 42-year rule. With Manmohan Singh being an "invisible" Prime Minister, it was "power without accountability" for the family in the last five years, he alleged.

Addressing the party's national council meeting, the BJP's star campaigner gave a new spin to the victory of Barack Obama in the US Presidential elections claiming that it was the result of the American citizens being fed up with the stranglehold of a few families in politics.

"It was senior Bush for two terms followed by two terms of Bill Clinton and then two terms of junior Bush and then there was the possibility of another Clinton. The people there felt if it will be only two families that will run the country", Modi contended.

Modi, who was participating in the discussion on the political resolution, said, in India "only one family has ruined everything".

Making a strong pitch for L K Advani as the next Prime Minister, he said that what the country was needing was a "strong" leader like the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate and "not like Manmohan Singh whose presence is not felt" despite he occupying the top post.