Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi (L) withSamajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav
Credit: PTI Photo
Lucknow: BJP on Sunday sought to attribute it's dismal performance in Uttar Pradesh in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections to 'overconfidence' and outside interference, but admitted that there was a shifting of votes in favour of the grand opposition alliance owing to what it said division of votes along caste lines.
The saffron party also cautioned Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on his party's alliance with the Congress. saying that the latter was like 'Bhasmasur' (a demon who, according to the Hindu mythology, had the power to kill anyone merely by putting his hands on his head) and that it would 'finish' his (Akhilesh's) party very soon.
Speaking at the meeting of the state executive committee of the party here, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that 'overconfidence' hurt BJP's prospects in the LS polls.
Adityanath however said that the saffron party's vote share remained intact and expressed confidence that the party would return to power in the state in the 2027 Assembly polls.
He also claimed foreign interference in the polls through social media. "The opposition and foreigners used social media to conspire against us," he remarked, urging party workers to use social media extensively to counter rumours and falsehood.
The Chief Minister also accused the opposition of dividing the people on caste lines to gain electoral mileage.
In his address, state BJP president Bhupendra Choudhary said that the Congress had its eyes on Muslim vote bank of the SP.
"Congress is like Bhasmasur ... it will gobble up your (Akhilesh) party ... Congress always uses smaller parties to win elections ...be careful," Choudhary said.
The political resolution adopted at the meeting said that the opposition parties spread falsehood on the issue of reservation which affected the performance of the BJP.
It also said that the recruitment in government jobs should continue ensuring transparency and also promised a thorough probe in the incidence of paper leak.
The saffron party sought an apology from senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for what the saffron party said demeaning the Hindus. "Rahul Gandhi would have banned the word Hindu if he had come to power," the resolution said.
The meeting of the saffron party began a day after on of its legislators said that BJP was not likely to come back to power in 2027 and the results of the bypolls in 13 assembly seats of BJP managed to win only two.
BJP which had won 62 seats in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, could win 33 seats this time. The party even lost the Faizabad LS seat which has Ayodhya Assembly seat.