New Delhi: The political spat over incidents of intolerance that had already spilled over into academia and popular culture with celebrities and leaders voicing out their opinions has recently been taken up in the journalistic domain with Arun Shourie's sharp criticism on the Prime Minister's silence over these incidents.

The BJP has served its comeback through another seasoned journalist and accused Mr. Shourie to be a victim of sour grapes.

“The problem is not that Modi is not speaking. The problem is that Arunji is not listening. The day he learns to listen to others, he will stop talking like this” contended M J Akbar, a seasoned journalist, now speaking in the capacity of a BJP spokesperson.

Quoting Modi's statements on the issues, including an interview in a Bengali daily, Akbar said Modi had spoken several times on these controversies. Asked why the one-time supporter of Modi and also former Union Minister in the previous NDA government had turned a critic, he told a press conference that Shourie was unable to see and listen in the darkness of his emotions.

Akbar declined to elaborate, saying those who can understand will understand what he meant.

Several BJP leaders have alleged that Shourie's criticism of Modi government sprang from his not being given a ministerial berth. Shourie had yesterday accused Modi of deliberately maintaining silence on incidents like Dadri lynching while his ministerial and party colleagues kept the issue alive merely to win Bihar elections.

PTI