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Narendra Modi's remarks despicable: Lyngdoh

However, an unrepentant Modi continued to target the CEC.

At a rally near Baroda on Tuesday, Modi had reportedly attacking Lyngdoh for rejecting the BJP's demand for early polls in the state.

Modi had repeatedly hinted at Lyngdoh's Christian background and his alleged proximity to Congress president Sonia Gandhi as factors influencing his decisions.

"These remarks reflect how cruel the polity is. It is despicable and it comes from gossip menials," the CEC told Star News while reacting to Modi's remarks.

"I don't have any religion. I couldn't care less," he said adding, religions have created all these problems.

Asked if he favoured assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir under governor's rule as being demanded by some political parties, Lyngdoh replied in the affirmative but with a rider that the governor should be 'properly' selected in consultation with the opposition.

The CEC said he agreed with the views of his predecessor M S Gill that governor's rule should be imposed in states two months before the state goes to polls, subject to good choice of governors.

Meanwhile, notwithstanding criticism by Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi for his remarks against Chief Election Commissioner, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday continued his veiled attack on J M Lyngdoh.

"I am repeating what I have said earlier... 50 million (five crore) people of Gujarat have the right to know why James Michael Lyngdoh is applying different yardsticks for Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat," Modi said while answering questions from reporters in Mumbai on Joshi's statement that the Gujarat chief minister's remarks against the CEC were uncalled for.

Modi maintained that he had no intentions of showing 'disrespect' to the constitutional body.

Modi ducked a question on whether Lyngdoh's Christian background was 'responsible' for his decisions regarding Gujarat.

"What I had to say I have said clearly. I find the move of not holding early elections in Gujarat as part of that conspiracy hatched to defame Gujarat," he said.

Never in the history of India had elections, recommended by a popular government, been postponed in a state 'on grounds of (doubts over the) law and order situation', Modi said.

"Elections were held within 40 days of the anti-Sikh carnage in Delhi in 1984 and also the infamous Neli violence in Assam," Modi said.

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