Mumbai: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray hit out at former President APJ Abdul Kalam Azad calling him “hypocrite” and “shallow” for making a statement after so many years that he was ready to swear in the Congress President Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister after the 2004 polls.

“After saying that he was ready to swear in Italian Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister, Kalam has become a laughing stock”, said Thackeray in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

Kalam in his book ‘Turning Points’ revealed that he was ready to swear in Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister despite opposition from some circles.

“By making this disclosure after so many years, Kalam has lost the place he had in people’s hearts and from their point of view, he is now a hypocrite and shallow,” said Thackeray.

“Till now, it was widely speculated that Kalam, as the President, had stopped Sonia Gandhi from becoming Prime Minister. Due to this single act, he was admired by the country and the admiration continued even when he was no longer the President,” said Thackeray.

“Kalam could have made this clarification ten (sic) years ago. But he kept quiet due to selfish interests,” he said.

Continuing to attack Kalam, he said the nuclear blast at Pokhran, carried by the former president, did no good for the country and his sudden revelation on Sonia Gandhi brought down the country’s image globally.

“People in the NDA were bent on making Kalam President again. Had he become NDA’s Presidential nominee and made this disclosure, it would have led to defamation of the NDA”, said the Sena chief.

“Now, we are sceptical whether he really carried out the nuclear explosion at Pokhran”, the editorial doubted.