Haveri (Karnataka), Nov 14 (IANS) Former Karnataka Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday that the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been reaffirmed even after the Lok Sabha elections through the Bihar Assembly results declared earlier in the day, adding that “Congress leaders thought that people would vote for them but they have been proven wrong”.

“In Maharashtra, Haryana and Bihar too, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has been clearly established. Congress leaders thought that everyone stood with them, but that has been proven false,” former Chief Minister Bommai added.

Speaking to reporters, the former Chief Minister said: “There was a lot of discussion in Bihar about caste politics and equations. Congress leaders believed that all communities were with them, but that has been proved wrong. About 80 per cent of the SC-ST communities have voted for the BJP. The Backward Classes and the SC-ST communities have supported the BJP. Because the Congress went too far in appeasement politics, the votes of the minorities consolidated against them. This has become a huge blessing for PM Modi to take major decisions in the coming days in the interest of the nation’s development.”

Reacting to a query on the allegations made by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, regarding “vote chori” allegations, Bommai said: “Vote theft — who did it? Where is the evidence? Even those who lost votes have not made such allegations. Who exactly stole the votes? Rahul Gandhi himself has written letters demanding electoral roll purification in all states. If an FIR is filed, the purification will take place. Congress tried to turn a lie into truth by repeating it again and again. People have seen their anarchy. The people are wiser than the leaders — this is what the people of Bihar have shown.”

On what lesson the Bihar election results hold for the Karnataka BJP unit, he said: “If all of them unite and fight against the corrupt and disastrous Congress government in the state with “pro-people movements”, the BJP will definitely secure a majority in the next state Assembly election.”

Reacting to Congress leaders’ allegations linking the election to the Delhi bomb blast during the polling period, Bommai said: “The blast had nothing to do with the election. Congress makes politics out of everything. The people are intelligent.”

Responding to a query about the clashes in Mudhol over sugarcane pricing, he noted: “The Congress-led state government did not show the same interest in Mudhol as it did in Belagavi. The state government is directly responsible for this. Had it handled the situation at the right time, the incident could have been avoided. Let there be an inquiry. The state government must compensate the innocent farmers for their sugarcane losses. This is an irresponsible government.”

Countering the allegations of Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, who blamed the BJP for the Mudhol incident, Bommai said, “What does Khandre know? How is the BJP responsible for this? Farmers sitting in protest across districts have turned against the Congress-led state government. If he cannot see that, it is unfortunate.”

–IANS

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