Bihar verdict: our assessment went wrong, says BJP

Admitting that things didn’t go as planned in Bihar, where the Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance won by a thumping majority, the Parliamentary Board of the Bharatiya Janata Party took stock of the State Assembly results in which the party suffered a debacle.

A day after the results were out from Bihar, the BJP Parliamentary Board met at the party headquarters with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah and other top leaders in attendance to review the performance.

Protecting the leadership from any attack, the BJP ruled out holding anyone responsible for the rout in Bihar Assembly elections and rejected criticism even from within that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s quota remarks was one of the major reasons for the defeat.

'Lost due to arithmetic'

The party admitted that it lost because the size of the “social arithmetic” cobbled by the grand alliance was bigger than the NDA and acknowledged that its assessment that the vote transferability among the JD(U), RJD and Congress will not happen proved “incorrect“.

“As far as accountability is concerned, the party collectively wins and collectively loses,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the media while briefing them on the Parliament Board meeting deliberations.

He was replying to a question about what action the party proposes to take towards holding someone accountable for the humiliating defeat in Bihar.

Asked if a second loss after the Delhi rout reflected on the leadership of Mr. Shah, whose tenure is coming to an end in January, Mr. Jaitley strongly defended him.

Winning and losing is part of the game, he said, pointing to the fact that after the Lok Sabha success the BJP had won four assembly elections and a string of local body polls in several states under him. “The party collectively wins and collectively loses.”

'Bhagwat not to be blamed'

Mr. Jaitley rejected the perception that the controversial comments of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat calling for a review of reservation for OBCs cost the party dearly in the elections.

“We don’t accept that,” he told a questioner when it was pointed out that some party leaders and allies have suggested that his remarks were a major reason for the defeat.

“One comment cannot decide elections,” he said while disagreeing with suggestions that Shah’s “crackers in Pakistan” remark also damaged their prospects.

The Minister said the BJP has always clarified since its inception that they support reservation and made it clear in 1991 after the Mandal Commission report.

“We have accepted the concept of reservation on the basis of social backwardness. I understand that this is also the stand of RSS. There should be no confusion about it,” he said.

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Yogi Adityanath slams SRK, compares him with Hafiz Saeed

Controversial Bharatiya Janata Party MP Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday compared Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan with Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of Mumbai carnage, over his “extreme intolerance” comment.

This is the second attack on the actor by a BJP leader in as many days, sparking condemnation.

Hitting out at the actor two days after he added his voice to the protest by the intelligentsia against the ’climate of intolerance’, Mr. Adityanath also suggested that he go to Pakistan.

Mr. Adityanath, the MP from Gorakhpur, said Shah Rukh Khan should remember that if a “huge mass” of people in the country would boycott his films then he would also have to wander on streets like a “normal Muslim“.

On Tuesday, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya triggered a controversy when he painted Shah Rukh as an “anti-nationalist.” In a series of tweets, he said the actor’s “soul” is in Pakistan though he lived in India.

Under fire for the remark, Mr. Vijayvargiya, a BJP general secretary, on Wednesday withdrew his controversial tweets but asserted that had there been intolerance in India, Shah Rukh Khan would not have been the most popular actor after Amitabh Bachchan. He, however, refused to apologise for his remarks.

The attack against Shah Rukh Khan by BJP leaders came notwithstanding the refrain of BJP’s top brass in the recent weeks that partymen avoid sensitive comments.

Claiming that in the name of secularism some artists and authors with radical views have started speaking as “anti-nationals”, Mr. Adityanath said “unfortunately”, Shah Rukh Khan has also matched their voice and lent his support.

According to Mr. Adityanath, this was not for the first time that Shah Rukh was doing this “Shah Rukh Khan should remember that if a huge mass in society would boycot his films, he will also have to wander on streets like a normal Muslim....I am saying these people are speaking in a terrorist’ language. I think there is no difference between the language of Shah Rukh Khan and Hafiz Saeed,” he said.

“We welcome that people go there [Pakistan], at least people who defame India will understand their own originality,” he added.

The Congress reacted to Mr. Adityanath’s statement, saying it was condemnable and would cause tension.

“This is a condemnable statement and nobody can send an individual to Pakistan,” Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said.His party colleague P C Chacko feared such comments would create tension.

“If you have views against the dispensation of this country you go to Pakistan... anybody wants to tweet something he has to go to Pakistan.. Are they trying to promote Pakistan tourism?,” asked Mr. Vadakkan.

Sadhvi Prachi, controversial Hindutva leader, also hit out at Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday, dubbing him a “Pakistani agent” for his comment on Monday when he turned 50 that there was “extreme intolerance” in the country.

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Sena emerges victorious in civic poll

While the Shiv Sena emerged victorious by winning 52 seats and overtaking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a fiercely fought battle in the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections in Maharashtra, which stretched the alliance between both the parties to breaking point, the BJP’s five-fold raise from nine in 2010 to 42 this time despite facing polls independently is being seen as party’s increased appeal in urban areas.

The results have also put the Sena in a tight spot as it falls nine short of majority. The party is caught in a fix as it would either have to depend on nine independents of which three are supported by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) or will have to approach arch rival Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) seeking help, as it too won nine seats. The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have been decimated as they were reduced to four and two seats respectively.

While Sena leaders chose not to speak on possible alliances, sources confirmed that it will first try all non-BJP, non-MNS options. “We fought against the BJP. How can we suddenly join hands? Thackeray family is involved when it comes to dealing with the MNS, where other leaders have no say,” said a senior Sena leader.

“We can only decide if the Sena approaches us. We will take a call once we get a proposal from them. Until then, we would like to say nothing,” said MNS leader Nitin Sardesai.

“This is the indication that people have acknowledged our agenda of development,” said Raosaheb Danve, BJP’s State unit chief, while talking about party’s increase in the number of seats.

BJP insiders believe tha similar performance can be repeated in the upcoming Mumbai municipality elections if the party continues on its aggressive stand against the Sena. At present it holds 30 seats in the 227-member Mumbai Corporation and shares power with the Sena which has 75 seats.

“If we can increase our tally in KDMC on our own, why can’t we do it in Mumbai? We have 15 MLAs in the city. We can very well grab power here,” said a senior BJP leader from Mumbai.

The election campaign leading to the KDMC polls had turned in to a verbal war between both parties, after Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray warned of pulling out of the alliance. To which, Mr. Fadnavis had responded saying Sena was a drama company.

Relief for Congress

Suffering defeats in successive elections, the results of Kolhapur Municipal Corporation polls turned out to be the Congress’s saviour on Monday. The party not only emerged as a single largest party in yet another closely fought battle, but its leaders also have indicated that it will join hands with the NCP to keep mayor’s post with it.

Kolhapur was also targeted by the BJP where it had joined hands with rebel Congress MLC Mahadev Mahadik’s local front. Here too, the party managed to improve its tally from three in 2010 to 13.

However, Maharashtra’s former Minister of State for Home Satej Patil took the Congress to the victory in a four cornered battle by winning 27 seats. This is party’s first major victory in the State in two years. “This is to show that people are realising the truth behind ‘Achche Din’ drama. I hope that this is the beginning of Congress’s comeback,” said Mr. Patil.

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