Did Sharif call PM ‘dehati aurat’

BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif for having referred to his Indian counterpart as a “village woman”. Calling it a big insult to the Indian PM and the country, Mr Modi said at his rally here: “How dare you (Sharif) address my nation’s PM as a village woman There cannot be a bigger insult... We can fight with him on policies but this we will not tolerate. This nation of 1.2 billion will not tolerate its Prime Minister’s insult.” The controversy arose after Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir claimed Mr Sharif had used the term “dehati aurat” (village woman) at a breakfast meeting with himself and Indian TV journalist Barkha Dutt, taking exception to Dr Singh complaining to US President Barack Obama about Mr Sharif. Mir quoted Mr Sharif saying: “It seems Manmohan Singh went to complain to Obama about me like a ‘dehati aurat’.” But Barkha Dutt tweeted later that Mr Sharif had said no such thing and Mr Mir’s version was a distortion.

*** Rajnath to be campaign chief Age Correspondent New Delhi, Sept. 29

BJP president Rajnath Singh will head the party election campaign committee after Gujarat CM Narendra Modi decided to relinquish the post. Mr Modi, who was made campaign committee chief in June this year and PM candidate on September 13, proposed Mr Singh’s name at the parliamentary board meeting on Sunday. Party leaders said this was expected as Mr Modi could not have run his own campaign.