A day after comparing the post-Godhra violence to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Gujarat governor Sunder Singh Bhandari on Friday demanded a thorough inquiry into the 'failure' of the Modi government in dealing with the Gujarat riots.

Following Bhandari's demand for an inquiry, the Rashtriya Janata Dal on Friday demanded that the Centre dismiss the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government.

The RJD national spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari said, "Modi's role in the killing of Muslims during the Gujarat riots of 2002 is now exposed by none other than the most trusted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh man, Bhandari, who was the governor of Gujarat during the riots." 

However, speaking to private news channel, Bhandari also said, "I don't think the whole thing can be attributed to an individual. It was a failure of the system, or failure of administrative machinery. I would like a thorough inquiry into where and how there was a gap."

• The Gujarat riots 

Asked if this meant he was not blaming an individual or the way Modi handled the riots, Bhandari, who was the governor at the time of the riots, said, "The point is to let the inquiry bring out facts."

In an interview to a Hindi weekly, Bhandari had blamed Chief Minister Narendra Modi [Images] and the party's central leadership for their 'failure' to respond quick and firmly to control the post-Godhra violence in 2001.

Asked if L K Advani was the right man to head the party now and on the quarrel between generation next leaders, the senior party leader said, "Advani has been leading the party very successfully. The party rose to this height in his presidential career."