Senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shanta Kumar and Yashwant Sinha today issued a joint statement criticising the party’s stand on its defeat in the Bihar assembly elections.
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The Nation said in an editorial that one must keep in mind that Bihar was only one of many states in India “and Modi remains very popular”.
Meanwhile, Jaitley said his party respects the people’s mandate in Bihar and promised to play the role of constructive opposition to enable the new government fulfill people’s aspirations.
Rajnath Singh said, “We couldn’t understand the mood in the state”.
“The BJP was not defeated in Bihar, it committed suicide”, he added.
A certain amount of introspection is required by both Modi and the BJP because the party faces crucial assembly elections in 2016 and 2017 in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Punjab where either the party has no significant presence or will face resistance from strong regional forces.
“The results of Bihar election show that no lesson has been learnt from fiasco in Delhi”.
He said the issue of reservation in educational institutions and in jobs badly affected the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). And in August, unidentified attackers shot and killed Malleshappa Madivalappa Kalburgi, a scholar and vocal critic of Hindu idolatry. Hundreds of writers, filmmakers and academics have protested the growing “intolerance” by returning awards they received from the government-supported bodies.
When asked whether there would be any impact of Bihar results on the “Brand Modi”, Jaitley said, “No. Nothing like that…” However, the BJP has enough headroom for reforms given its majority in the lower house.
However, PM Modi will not be the first person to get this honour. They, like most Indians, are looking for leaders who will improve their standard of living.
Former Union Minister Arun Shourie on Sunday made yet another comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said that the BJP came to power at the height of Modi’s popularity with merely 31 per cent votes. He will need to win all state elections over the next three years if his party is to gain full control of parliament.
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“It shows those who would have appropriated credit are bent on shrugging off responsibilty for the disastrous showing in Bihar”, the statement said. “Voters in Bihar have sent the BJP a clear message”.
