BJP candidate from Amritsar, Arun Jaitley on Friday said this was for the first time that an outgoing Government, through its leaders, was carrying on a campaign of negativity rather than highlighting their own achievements.
It is a rare occasion in history that a ruling party hid its failure by blaming the opposition, he wrote in his Campaign Diary.
“The Prime Minister reacted to the obviously visible Modi support by suggesting that he saw no Modi wave in the country. Modi has already addressed over 400 rallies across India. The attendance at the rallies has been unprecedented. The manner in which the BJP cadre and the support constituencies has been charged up through the campaign, is indicative of the inspirational mood,” said Jaitley.
Adding further he said, “Modi’s ability to set the agenda for good governance and stick to the agenda despite provocation is clearly demonstrable. Northern, Central and Western India has seen a sizable BJP support base. For the Modi wave to be visible in these areas was only to be expected. It is the enormous amount of goodwill that he enjoys even in eastern and southern parts of the country which is leading to a significant increase in the BJP vote”.
Jaitley said as against this, the Gandhis were all at sea. “While the country is debating on the anti-incumbency against the Congress, the Gandhis are busy attacking the incumbent. It is a rare occasion in history that a ruling party hides its failure by blaming the opposition. This desperate tactic does not sell,” he wrote.
The BJP candidate said Manmohan Singh might be myopic not to see a Modi wave. “Is it that he sees it but can’t admit itIJ This election is about a dual trend. The first is an anti incumbency against the Congress and the UPA. A principle component of that incumbency is leadership failure. It is thus this leadership failure which is responsible for the second electoral reaction”, he said.
Jaitley said that Modi had become a symbol of hope for an anguished India which is looking for solutions. “It is the combination of these two reactions which has strengthened the desire of the country to elect Modi as its Prime Minister. The acid tongued amongst the Congress leaders are watching helplessly. The Chidambarams, Sibals, Tiwaris, Anand Sharmas have convinced themselves that rude and discourteous phrases about Modi would perhaps counter Modi juggernaut,” he quipped.