Lok Sabha polls 2014: After praise, comes Cong's 'divisive figure' barb against Vajpayee

NEW DELHI: After showering praises on A B Vajpayee to target Narendra Modi, Congress today called the former Prime Minister a "divisive figure" and said he, along with L K Advani, started divisive politics in post-Independent India.

The Congress also justified its action of posting Vajpayee's photo on its website, saying it was done to condemn Modi against whom the BJP founder leader had vented ire over post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.

"In post-Independent India, Vajpayee and L K Advani started divisive politics. Vajpayee is also a divisive figure. But even Vajpayee found Modi's policies extremely unfortunate and wrong," Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said.

In the midst of the poll heat, Congress, on its official website, had heaped praise on Vajpayee to attack Modi, asking how can a person whom the tallest leader of BJP "wanted removed" as Chief Minister in the wake of Gujarat riots be the party's prime ministerial candidate.

"They (AICC web team) have put it... That they (BJP) say Vajpayee is their tallest leader and the person who was condemned by Vajpayee is being projected as the prime ministerial candidate. So they (web team) have just put it on record," Ahmed said on a query.