A day after BJP’s strong showing in the Assembly election in four States, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the results showed the prevalence of an anti-Congress mood. He dismissed there was any NaMo factor in favour of BJP and linked it with the party’s below par performance in Delhi. The BJP hit back at Nitish for suffering from “Ostrich syndrome”.
Interestingly, Kumar’s party JD-U had put up its candidates on 27 seats in Delhi, but could manage to win just one seat and forfeited its deposit on all the remaining 26 seats. “We just made an attempt. We were never a strong contender there”, said Kumar when asked for his party’s poor performance.
“There is no doubt that the results in the Assembly elections show anti-Congress mood and there is no reason for BJP to feel happy about it…there was no wave in favour of BJP. The results will have its bearing in the coming general elections,” said Kumar.
Referring to Delhi, Kumar further said the results there show a below par performance by the BJP”. “When the mood was anti-Congress they (BJP) should have easily gained two-third majority but they failed,” Kumar said.
Earlier, in view of his party parting ways with BJP, the Bihar Chief Minister was inching closer to the Congress and had even praised Prime Minister.
“Now, he is seeing the mood in the country as anti-Congress when despite his best efforts, the Congress Party did not strike an alliance with JD-U”, said BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
However, while commenting on the stellar performance of Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi Assembly poll, the Bihar CM said that the results showed that if the people would get an alternative other than the BJP when the mood has been anti-Congress they would go for it.
“In Delhi where AAP was a third option BJP failed to form the Government despite the profound anti-Congress environment,” Kumar said while talking with mediapersons at his official chamber inside the State Assembly. Nitish Kumar also congratulated AAP for its stellar performance in Delhi Assembly poll.
“The party reaped the benefit of anti-corruption agitation of Gandhian Anna Hazare”, said he.
While attacking BJP, the party with whom Nitish Kumar had 17-long years of political alliance, Kumar took a dig saying it appeared that the BJP has lost its influence in Delhi where its founding organisation Jan Sangh had started work. “Delhi will write epitaph in the day to come for BJP,” said Bihar Chief Minister.
On whether these results will have impact in Bihar in the forthcoming lok Sabha poll, Kumar said, “Since Congress is no factor in Bihar there will be no impact in the State and so BJP should not feel cheerful about it.”
On the question of his lone party winning candidate Shoib Iqbal declaring to support Aam Aadmi Party to form Government in Delhi, Nitish Kumar said he had spoken to Iqbal and gave his consent for him to support AAP. “We’ll not allow BJP to form Government there”, he said.