Sushma clears air on spat with Modi

NEW DELHI: Three days after she created a flutter with remarks on Narendra Modi, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Thursday sought to assuage the Gujarat Chief Minister, saying she was misquoted and has no differences with him.

Swaraj, who had reportedly stated in Bihar that Modi's magic may not work everywhere, said some people were playing mischief by "planting" stories against her.

Refuting reports that she had been snubbed by party chief Nitin Gadkari on the issue, Swaraj said while she had spoken to him twice during the last two days, he had "not even broached the subject".

"Somebody is playing mischief... Maybe since Commonwealth Games corruption cases are being unravelled, some people want to divert attention from it by creating a controversy around BJP. My charge is that there is not even an iota of truth in this," she said.

Asked if these people were from BJP or outside, Swaraj said, "I can't say."

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha maintained that words were being attributed to her by some people who had "planted" this report in newspapers as "they stand to gain from a fight- where there is none- between Narendrabhai and me".

"I talked to Nitin Gadkari yesterday and the day before. But he did not even broach the subject. He had called to ask me to attend our Foreign Cell meeting ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit. I have not had any conversation with him on this issue. He did not say a word (on it)," she said.

Gadkari is believed to have discussed the matter during his meeting with senior party leader LK Advani today.

Party sources claimed that Modi had expressed his displeasure to Gadkari who in turn called up Swaraj to discuss the matter.

Swaraj, who was campaigning in Bihar, reached out to Modi, saying the two shared very cordial relations and this was not liked by some people.

"There is no tension between me and Modi. There are no differences between us. Narendrabhai has a unique quality that he is never affected by media reports. He has not spoken to me on this. If he has anything on his mind, he would have talked to me," she said.

Swaraj said she had called Modi to congratulate him on BJP's impressive victory in Gujarat local body elections.
Sent at 9:00 PM on Thursday.