NEW DELHI: The results of the Gujarat elections set off a fierce back-and-forth between the
Congress and the
BJP on Tuesday.
Speaking about Monday's verdict, Congress president
Rahul Gandhi claimed that the results showed that the credibility of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the BJP has suffered.
"Modi ji ki credibility pe sawal uth gaya hai, Modi ji has a credibility problem," he said.
He added that the result was a big jolt to the ruling party, and signalled that their "propaganda" was no longer working.
"BJP has received a tremendous blow in Gujarat. PM Modi keeps trotting out the party line but the people of the country are no longer listening," Rahul told reporters.
He sought to draw attention to the BJP's alleged "politics of anger," and claimed that the Congress would defeat it with "love."
The BJP hit out at Rahul, saying that it was in fact his own credibility that was "at an all time low."
"The credibility of Congress and Rahul Gandhi is at an all time low, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi's credibility is at an all time high, not just in India but globally," ANI quoted Union minister
Ananth Kumar as saying.
Kumar's remarks were echoed by his colleague
Prakash Javadekar at a press conference, who warned that the Congress was "on the verge of extinction."
Javadekar mocked the Congress, saying that due to its electoral defeats since 2014, it has "no choice but to consider its losses as victory."
He also took on Gandhi's 'development has gone berserk' trope from the campaign in Gujarat, saying that "someone who says 'development has gone crazy' can hardly be expected to understand the development model (of Modi)."
The BJP on Monday defeated a resurgent Congress in Gujarat, winning the state for the sixth straight time, with 99 of the 182 seats. The Congress, however, improved its performance from the last election, taking its victories to 77, from the previous 61.
(With inputs from agencies)
File Photo.
