No reason for BJP to celebrate, says Congress

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 26

AICC secretary and spokesperson Deepender Hooda today said there was no cause for celebration for the BJP as it had been able to win only one of the seven states that went to polls. Rather, the Congress had improved its seat and vote share, indicating that it was on a comeback trail.

Addressing a press conference here today to assess the two-year performance of the Modi regime, Hooda said the Centre had miserably failed to fulfill the promises that it made to the people whether it concerned the black money issue, farmers problems, generating two crore jobs every year and reviving the economy.

He said the growth rate during the NDA regime in the last two years was merely 5.5 per cent as per the old formula while during the last two years of the UPA the growth rate was 8.6 and 8.9 per cent. He said the exports too had declined.

“The fact that the BJP has failed to maintain or even remotely be close to the resounding victory it charted in the Lok Sabha polls is an indication of its falling graph and the growing disenchantment of the people with the NDA regime,” he said. He said the BJP propaganda machine made tall promises to the people which they have failed to fulfill.

While admitting that there is need for serious introspection by the Congress for failing to catch the fancy of the people, Hooda said the Congress party and the country needed the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. “The decision on when Rahul Gandhi will take over as Congress president will be taken by the senior Congress leadership at an appropriate time,” he said in reply to a query.

He said the Congress would resurge in the times to come as the party had very strong leadership, policy and ideology. He said despite having only 44 MPs, the Congress has managed to put up strong opposition and opposed the Government on several occasions like on the issue of land Acquisition Bill.

“The BJP has saffronised the education institutions. The party has even tried to destabilize democratically elected government in Uttarakhand,” he said, adding that the Congress regime in Himachal was very strong and had emerged as a model of development.

He said the Congress would not just return to power in the 2017 Assembly election in the state but will improve its tally further.