Amid reports that he might face trouble from Congress high command for praising Narendra Modi, party MP from Maharashtra Vijay Darda on Sunday night clarified that he described the Gujarat chief minister as a "tiger" only in the sense that he can "dictate" terms to the BJP leadership.
Gujarat state chief minister, Narendra Modi presents the Tarun Kranti Puraskar to Congress Member of Parliament, Vijay Darda as chairman of the Dainik Bhaskar Group, Rameshchandra Agrawal looks on during the awards function in Ahmedabad. AFP/Sam Panthaky
"I had called Narendra Modi a tiger of Gujarat as he is able to dictate terms to central BJP leaders," Darda said in a statement issued on Sunday night.
Darda further said that he was the "vocal critic" of the "murder of humanity" that took place in 2002 in Gujarat and has raised his voice against the communal riots in Rajya Sabha and at other public platforms.
The MP said that he had not called Modi a "saint", but a "political saint".
Darda, who on Sunday shared a stage with Modi in the city, called him a "tiger" of the state leaving Congress red-faced.
Gujarat Congress leader Narhari Amin said that what Darda has said was his personal opinion.
"This might be the personal opinion of Darda, but the state Congress does not agree with his remark," Amin said.