Seeds of BJP govt sown: Modi

New Delhi: Exuding confidence that BJP will form the next government at the Centre, Narendra Modi said that the seed for it has already been sown in the six phases of elections held so far and the coming three phases will be about strengthening it.

Modi, in an interview to ETV, said the days of the "mother-son government should be considered over".

Describing Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party as a "trusted partner" of BJP, he ruled out any tie-up with Jagan Mohan Reddy of YSR Congress, saying there is no "scope" for him and people are clever enough to understand "corrupt persons".

"We are committed to initiate strict action against corruption and we are committed for it," he said, referring to graft cases against Reddy.

His government will be Telangana-friendly and it would prepare a plan for development of the region as well as the residual state.

Accusing Congress of "dividing mother's milk", Modi said BJP always stood for Telangana but was oppossed to the manner in which the state was bifurcated.

He said both the regions of the state would be put on developmental path.

"Hyderabad would be promoted as a brand in the world," he said, adding that the tussle between the two regions over its stature would be sorted out in an amicable manner.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan alleged that Manmohan Singh was a "caged Prime Minister", who remained under control of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi raked up the issue of terrorism to attack BJP, saying nearly 22,000 people died due to the menace during the NDA regime, while there were only 800 such deaths in the UPA's last five-year tenure.

One of their ministers went to Kandahar to plead with terrorists for the release hostages (of a hijacked Indian Airlines plane)," said Rahul Gandhi.

Ahmedabad (PTI): Union Minister Kapil Sibal raked up alleged fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan to hit out at Narendra Modi saying the BJP's PM nominee and Amit Shah were being "shielded" despite existence of "clinching" evidence to arrest them.

"I want to ask who is shielding Modi and Shah when, as per lawyers like us, there is a clinching evidence to arrest them in the case of fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan and three others," Sibal told reporters here.

The hard-hitting attack by Sibal came on the last day of campaigning for the single-phase polls in Gujarat to be held on April 30.

Joining Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders in attacking Modi's development model, Sibal said, "many models are being talked about in the country now, but this is an encounter model of Gujarat". Elaborating about "clinching evidence" Sibal said, "There are call records of talk between accused police officer DG Vanzara and the then minister of state for Home Amit Shah at the time of encounter and before the encounter that took place on June 15, 2004.