We failed because we could not stoop to Modi's level: Moily

New Delhi, Dec 23 (UNI) Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily today said his party's defeat in the Gujarat assembly poll was because it could not go down to the extent of "Modi's politics of hatred." "We never compromised our core values like secularism and rule of law. Therefore, we could not pay him in the same coin," Mr Moily, the AICC General Secretary in charge of the Media, told UNI here today, while pointing out that "we always fought for secularism." Mr Moily, a former Chief Minister of Karnataka, said it was not a victory of the BJP in Gujarat. "It is a defeat of the BJP--its principles and ideology. It is an individual victory for Mr Modi. It is not a victory for governance, development or rule of law as it was sought to be made out." He said the Congress had been complaining against the "hate politics" of Mr Modi and his style of dividing the people and rule.

Mr Moily said Mr Modi played communal card and divided the society and fragmented it on communal, caste and religious lines.

He said though Mr Modi would form his government in Gujarat, it was for the BJP to introspect.

Replying to a question, Mr Moily admitted that the party had committed a mistake by giving support to many thinking that "all enemies of Modi are our friends." "In fact, this was counter-productive," he said, in obvious reference to the support extended to many of the BJP dissidents in the Saurashtra region.

UNI