The election for control of Bihar, India’s second most populous state, was seen as a referendum on Modi’s popularity, and he had crisscrossed the state addressing dozens of high-profile rallies.
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“The BJP bigwigs asserted that the principal reason for the latest defeat was the way the party has been “emasculated” in the Delhi polls a year ago”. “We will have to analyze each and every aspect of the result”, said Ram Madhav, a BJP general secretary. Yadav has championed the cause of the lower castes, Dalits and minorities, and the alliance offered a “secular” alternative to the NDA’s more strident Hindu nationalism.
Sena also criticised BJP over the sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities.
Still smarting from a humiliating weekend electoral loss, the Indian government said yesterday it was undeterred and would push ahead with its economic reforms agenda.
With the defeat in the crucial state, the BJP has lost its aura of invincibility. His remark came during an interaction with the media after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary board meeting here following the party’s poor performance in the Bihar assembly elections.
Thousands of jubilant JD-U, RJD and Congress activists celebrated in Patna.
At a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi said he would take up the matter with all the chief ministers so that everyone can be brought on a joint platform for better development of the region. Mr Shourie predicted that the “silent non-cooperation movement” in the party against the leadership would now deepen. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal congratulated Nitish Kumar on “this historic victory”. He began using indignified language while Nitish Kumar did not forget decorum even in the battle field.
Responding to public expectations following the BJP’s stunning defeat in the Bihar assembly elections, the government on Tuesday announced the reforming and liberalising of norms for foreign investment in 15 sectors.
The statement has been signed by Yashwant Sinha on behalf of the senior leaders.
“We should be grateful to the people of Bihar because the direction has been halted”, he told NDTV news. “Salute once again to Biharis”.
Asking for review of the defeat, the veterans said that there should also be an analysis on how the party has been forced to kowtow to a handful.
Congress leader P.C. Chacko on Wednesday welcomed the BJP veterans’ criticism of the party’s top brass for the crushing defeat in Bihar, saying the dictatorial tendencies within the ruling party is something to be opposed. It didn’t happen that way.
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A previous report on the Dawn website on Sunday evening was headlined “Bihar Voters Put Modi Out to Pasture”, a reference to what many Pakistanis call “cow politics” after a Muslim man in India was recently lynched by a Hindu mob for allegedly consuming beef.
