Claiming that the defeat of BJP in bypolls in several states was not a referendum against the Modi government at the Centre, senior BJP leader and Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that these elections were held on the basis of situation and environment in respective states and did not have bearing on national politics. “The bypolls were the matter of the state and the situation there was behind the defeat of BJP candidates. It has nothing to do with the popularity of Modi government at the Centre,” she said while addressing media persons on the 38th Foundation Day function in Lucknow on Friday. “There is BJP government in 21 states with 12 Chief Ministers and eight Deputy CMs, which no one ever thought of in the past,” she claimed. The BJP leader said that the contribution made by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee - the founder of Jana Sangha in 1951, form the backbone of the party and his ideology was being carried forward by present leaders. Sitharaman said that the BJP grew up in three phases, the first one being evolution when leaders made sacrifices for the unity and integrity of the country. Thereafter, the party was launched to spread the power of democracy and now after coming to power at the Centre in 2014, the party was taking the country to development, while safeguarding democratic rights of people following its slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. “The victory of the party in Tripura was an ideological victory, though in Kerala too, party workers were giving sacrifice to spread the BJP’s philosophy,” she said. Sitharaman lambasted the Congress for its anti-democratic approach, saying that the party which imposed Emergency and took away the freedom of speech from people, was now questioning the BJP over it. When asked if the Centre would go for a fresh probe in the mysterious death of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee at Jammu and Kashmir, the Union minister said that the probe has already been done, but mystery still shrouded his death.