Ballia, Terming Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s comments on ‘intolerance’ and mobs killing people in India at Dubai’s Abu Dhabi ‘unfortunate’, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson and former union minister Shahnawaz Hussain said that such statements were improper.

While addressing a ‘Makar Sankranti’ programme in this district of Uttar Pradesh on late Sunday evening and reacting to Mr Gandhi’s statement, he said that one or two such incidents had happened which were being probed, adding that no one is allowed to indulge in all this.Striking a cordial note, he said that there was no better country or friend like India.

Taking a jibe at the newly formed SP-BSP alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said that SP president Akhilesh Yadav has the habit of seating someone on his bicycle in every election.

“When he had offered space to the Congress president in Assembly elections, the cycle got punctured. Now that he has welcomed an elephant, the rim of the cycle will get broken,” Mr Hussain said.

Commenting about the Lok Sabha polls, he said that the BJP will win an extra seat as compared to the earlier General elections this time. “We had formed the government after securing 42 per cent votes in the last General elections. This time, the goal has been set at 51 per cent votes,” the former minister said.

The BJP spokesperson said that the nation wants Mr Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister once again.Discussing the 10 per cent reservation which has recently been extended to the poor from upper castes, he said that the PM was concerned about everyone and wanted ‘sabka saath and sabka vikaas.’

Responding to a question, he said that the upcoming polls will be fought on the issue of development not on the Ram temple. The decision, he added was pending in the top court and was an issue related to faith and not elections.