Cong retorts by calling Vajpapee the weakest PM India ever had

New Delhi, Apr 14: Days after the

praised A B

to target Narendra Modi, the party did a U turn today calling the

veteran "the weakest PM India ever had", a taunt often directed at Manmohan Singh by the opposition party.

In his tweet, Congerss spokesman Sanjay Jha alleged that Vajpayee was the "weakest" Prime Minister as he had failed to protect India's border and country's interests while dealing with Pakistan. He said that Vajpayee had even failed to handle Narendra Modi whom he wanted removed as Chief Minister in the wake of Gujarat riots in 2002.

"Gen Musharraf spent a night on Indian soil, while the PMO and NDA snored"

"The weakest PM ever was AB Vajpayee, who wanted to sack Mr Modi for the ghastly Gujarat massacre, but succumbed to BJP bullying," he tweeted. The Congress spokesman also took potshots at Vajpayee over his government's failure in protecting the Indian border and interests while dealing with Pakistan.

"The weakest PM India ever had was AB Vajpayee who was hugging PM Nawaz Sharif, even as 50 soldiers had lost their lives in Kargil," Jha tweeted. "The weakest Prime Minister that India ever had was AB Vajpayee. Gen Musharraf spent a night on Indian soil, while the PMO and NDA snored," he said.

In the midst of the poll heat, Congress had showered praises on Vajpayee to attack Modi, asking how can a person whom the tallest leader of BJP "wanted removed" as CM in the wake of Gujarat riots be the party's PM candidate. In its official website, the Congress had asserted that no leader in BJP can match the stature of Vajpayee, the founding president of the party.

BJP had yesterday said the book written by former media adviser of Manmohan Singh was an "official confirmation" that he was the "weakest" prime minister and asserted that his office was "dwarfed" during the UPA rule.

The BJP also said that on the eve of relinquishing the office Singh must "seriously introspect" as to how his tenure "impacted" on the institution of prime minister.

PTI