The BJP which is confident of emerging victorious in the Lok Sabha polls which ended on Monday, on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for being “absent” from the elections.
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley drew a comparison between the participation of the party’s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the polls.
“The high point of this election was the energy displayed by Mr. Modi. During the campaign he has not missed a single meeting. He has visited every nook and corner of India and even in areas where the BJP strength has been somewhat limited, he has managed to create a momentum in favour of the BJP…Regrettably, the outgoing Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, was absent in the elections,” he said in a statement.
Not sparing senior Congress leaders, Mr. Jaitley said: “Even his senior Cabinet Ministers were confined to addressing press conferences with use of angry and impolite language against Mr. Modi.”
He referred to “intimidation of rival political parties and capturing the environment around the polling stations and thereafter capturing the booths silently” as the low point of this election. “I only hope that in future the Election Commission will be better equipped to tackle this menace. The high point of this election was the return of huge rallies and a very large turn-out,” he said.
Referring to the exit polls and the outcome they predict, Mr. Jaitley said: “Pollsters normally have a tendency to err on the side of caution. I have no doubt that large turn-outs necessarily mean a decisive vote. A decisive vote in this election can only be a pro-Modi, pro-BJP or pro-NDA vote.”
