PM Narendra Modi with BJP chief Amit Shah in New Delhi Saturday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday said that his party’s impressive performance in the Northeast was a sign of things to come in the next few elections, and had energised the cadre for 2019. He also said that though the NDA had won a clear majority only in Tripura and Nagaland, the mandate in Meghalaya was not in favour of the Congress and was in fact a verdict for change.
“I congratulate the people for ccepting the leadership of (PM Narendra) Modiji and putting their stamp of approval on his policies for the Northeast. These results show what is going to happen in the next few elections… Workers are charged up for the 2019 polls,” Shah said, addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters here.
He said this was the third election, including Gujarat, where the party had got 40-49 per cent votes and the momentum was in favour of the party before elections in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Particularly upbeat about the party’s show in Tripura, where it was locked in an ideological battle with the Left Front, he said, “It is proven now that Left is not right for any part of India… Congress was rejected in Tripura and Nagaland… This is a sign of the rise of the BJP.”
He assured his allies in Tripura that they would be part of the government. “Though we are in a position to form the government alone in Tripura, we have a tradition of taking allies along. Our allies will be part of the council of ministers,” Shah said.
Saying the results had demolished the view that BJP was a Hindi-belt party, he added, “We have done well in Maharashtra, Gujarat and now Northeast. Media used to say that we are not Akhil Bhartiya. But today we have elected representatives from Kashmir to Kerala and Kohima to Kutch.”
Asked about the Congress’s allegations that the BJP used money and muscle power as well as the Hindutva card, he said, “Of course they will say this. There was VVPAT in these elections, so you can’t blame the EVM any more. They will never give credit to Narendra Modi’s leadership and so they will talk about Hindutva card.”
He said people had shown confidence in Modi and his Act East policy. When asked if after today’s results he thought BJP’s golden era had dawned, Shah said, “Our golden period is yet to come. Not until we win Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha. We are winning Karnataka anyway.”
On the party’s plans for Meghalaya, Shah said, “The mandate is against Congress. Someone should ask Congress why it has sent leaders there. We are not going to do any tod phod.”
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