New Delhi: In a retort to Narendra Modi, who said that country`s destiny would have been different had Sardar Patel become the first PM, Union minister Manish Tewari on Tuesday said that BJP would have had a different PM candidate in 2013 if the RSS had honoured its word to Patel.
"If RSS had honoured commitment given to Sardar to get unbanned post the killing of the Mahatma BJP would have had a different candidate 2013!," the Information and Broadcasting minister said in a post on social networking site twitter.
He was apparently referring to the reported contention that the RSS`s commitment to be non-political is a result of acceptance to a precondition imposed by Patel for lifting the ban imposed on it.
The contention however is disputed and opposed by many.
Earlier in the day at Gujarat Modi had said the country`s destiny would have been different if Sardar Patel had become the first PM.
Sharing dais with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here, he credited Patel, the first Home Minister, with uniting the country and said the same unity and integrity was under threat from terrorism and Maoism at present.
"Every Indian still regrets that he (Patel) did not become the first Prime Minister. Had he been the first Prime Minister, the country`s destiny would have been different," he said in comments that may be seen as an attack on Nehru.
PM Manmohan Singh had immediately hit back by questioning Modi`s claim over Patel`s legacy, saying the late leader was secular and liberal to the core, having respect for those with different ideology.
The PM and the Gujarat CM were speaking at a function to inaugurate a museum dedicated to Sardar Patel, who was born in Gujarat.
