NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Accompanied by a vitriolic attack on the Congress, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Haryana had scripted history by giving a third consecutive term to the BJP in the state.
While congratulating the party workers for the victory, Mr Modi speaking at the party headquarters in Delhi called the Congress a “parasitic party” that wins only when powered by its alliance partners.
“In J&K, its ally was saying they would face defeat because of the Congress. In Lok Sabha as well, they won most of the seats because of their alliance partners. In some states, many alliance partners suffered because of Congress. They swallow them and destroy them in the state,” PM Modi said, setting the tone for the next round of election in Maharashtra and Jharkhand — states where the Congress is fighting as part of alliances.
“Haryana was formed in 1966… 13 elections took place in Haryana, till now and in 10 polls, people have changed the government,” he said. “After five years and in the last three elections, it has not happened. It is the first time that a government has managed to get two terms and win a third one. The people of Haryana not only made us win but gave us more seats and more vote share. They wholeheartedly voted for us,” he added.
The BJP won a historic third straight term in Haryana in an election that many expected it to lose in face of massive anti-incumbency, anger among farmers and Jats, and displeasure about the Agniveer scheme. The party won 48 of the state’s 90 seats leaving the Congress 37 – a long way from the majority mark of 46.
The greater part of the Prime Minister’s speech was directed at the Congress – a party he said was against the youth and the army, was anti-India, “tries to ruin the reputation of every institution Indians are proud of.” “Before the Lok Sabha election, the Congress, their alliance partners and Urban Naxal friends went to the court several times to disrupt the functioning of these institutions. They question their neutrality, their independence. They have been doing that a lot,’ he added.
(Manas Dasgupta)