PM Modi cheers vote for 'our politics of good governance & development'

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of trying to sow the seeds of casteism in Gujarat in its "hunger for power", asserting that the BJP's win in the Assembly elections had underlined the people's acceptance of his government's reforms. Addressing BJP workers at the party headquarters here, he was unsparing in his attack on the Congress and critics who, he said, could not accept his party's victory in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

He returned to his plank of development and pitched for social harmony in his home state, which had seen several caste agitations in the run up to the Assembly polls, saying that the people should forget the past and embrace each other. An atmosphere for development had been created after the BJP took power at the Centre in May 2014, he said, adding that nobody should derail it as his "decisive" government was working overtime to strengthen cooperative federalism and had clean intentions.

With the BJP — which recorded its sixth straight victory in Assembly elections in Gujarat — drawing its lowest tally this year, Modi said that the victory this time was not 'samanya' (normal) but 'asamanya' (especial). Modi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 before he became the prime minister in May, 2014, said attempts were made to "demoralise" the state BJP leadership after he moved to the Centre.

He said the state government was attacked from all sides and there was a "storm of disinformation". "The Congress might be visible on the ground but there were many forces at work beside it. 'Bring down the BJP once'.

All sorts of conspiracies were hatched," Modi said. There could be anger over the issue of development but some were making fun of it, he said, apparently targeting the Congress and Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who had run a campaign with the meme "development has gone mad" to attack the BJP.

New Delhi: Displaying a rare flash of visible emotion, the usually reserved BJP president Amit Shah on Monday described his party's victories in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh as the triumph of performance and development over a "negative campaign" based on "casteism, nepotism and appeasement politics" run by the rival Congress. He summarily rejected suggestions that the fight with the Congress in his home state of Gujarat had been "close".

Addressing a Press conference at the party headquarters here on Monday, Shah also asserted that the poll outcome in favour of the BJP was a victory of performance and development against political dynasty. Asked if it had been a close fight with the Congress in Gujarat, he said that having a 8 per cent victory margin over the rival cannot be taken as 'kante ki takkar' (close fight).

Shah also attributed the party's victory in Gujarat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and the public welfare works carried out by the Centre and the state government. The victory of the BJP in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assembly polls is a win for Modi's development agenda against the politics of dynasty, casteism and appeasement, he said.

The BJP chief also congratulated and complimented the party's state leaders in both states for the victory. He thanked BJP workers and the people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and expressed satisfaction with the fact that there was a gap of 8 per cent between the BJP and the Congress in vote share.