Denying that there was a ‘Modi factor’ in the results of the four just-concluded Assembly elections, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the Delhi verdict showed that though it was an anti-Congress mandate, the people preferred a non-BJP alternative.
“The mandate could be against the Congress. But from the way people voted in Delhi, it is clear that if they have an alternative to the Congress other than the BJP, they will opt for that. In Delhi, no party has a clear majority. In such a scenario, if there are re-elections, then the BJP’s myth will be shattered,” Mr. Kumar said on the sidelines of a Legislature session.
Asked about the much-touted ‘Modi factor,’ Mr. Kumar said: “What the BJP is saying is irrelevant. What’s important is what is before your eyes. Wherever the Congress and the BJP came face to face, we thought the BJP would have an advantage, but Delhi has dispelled that misconception. The BJP will get a deep shock after the 2014 elections. If there was a wave, the party should have got a two-thirds majority.”
He reiterated his remark “blower ki hawa [wind from a blower]” to describe the BJP’s claims of the impact of its prime ministerial candidate.
Mr. Kumar congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party on its performance in debut. “It was an experiment. The AAP has proved itself. The anti-corruption andolan of Anna Hazare’s is significant even today.”
The Janata Dal (United) won one seat in the Delhi elections.
Refuting Mr. Kumar’s comments, the former Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, asked: “Is our victory in three of the four States just a false wave? [Narendra Modi’s] impact will be strongly felt in the Lok Sabha elections and the JD(U) will be nowhere. It’s good for us that Mr. Kumar stays in denial.”
Rabri Devi, former Chief Minister and leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, said her party would continue to support the Congress despite its poor show.
House adjourned
Meanwhile, both Houses of the Legislature were adjourned as BJP leaders moved adjournment motions and created a ruckus demanding a discussion on the serial bomb blasts in Patna during the party’s ‘Hunkar’ rally in October.
