As the results of assembly election in five states on Tuesday showed Congress leading in three, the party president Rahul Gandhi claimed victory in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party governments (BJP) was defeated because Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to listen to the ‘heartbeat of the country’.
Gandhi, who was speaking at a press conference in Delhi, said the Modi government had ignored unemployment and farmers’ distress. “Mr. Modi came to power based on issues of employment, corruption and farmers. But the reality is Mr. Modi was involved in Rafale corruption and failed on the remaining issues,” said Congress President.
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“With the resurgent Congress party and the Opposition it will be very difficult for the government to win elections (in 2019). The message is quite clear that people are not happy with the government,” he said.
LIVE: Congress President @RahulGandhi addresses the media on Assembly Elections. #CongressWinsBIG https://t.co/TRYzlnWZl8
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 11, 2018
He said that ‘it is time for change’ and that the Congress will provide a new vision to the country to address the problems like unemployment, agricultural crisis.
“Mr Modi has taught me what not to do. He refused to listen to youngsters and farmers. Arrogance is fatal for a politician,” he said in a candid admission. Political pundits attributed arrogance as one of the reasons for UPA II loss in the Lok Sabha election 2014.
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“The Congress won because the people are now questioning PM Modi’s clean image. He refused to listen to the heartbeat of the country,” he said.
Gandhi thanked the BJP chief ministers of the three states for their work and said his party’s governments will do ‘an excellent job.’
“हमारी लड़ाई भाजपा की विचारधारा से है। हमने उन्हें आज हराया है और 2019 में भी हराएंगे। कांग्रेस पार्टी “मुक्त” करने की विचारधारा में विश्वास नहीं करती। विपक्ष को खत्म करने की सोच भाजपा की है,” he said.
“The most important thing in this country is what the people of the country feel. As a politician we have to listen and connect to what they feel and work with that sentiment.”
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The Congress was ahead in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, but was locked in a see-saw contest in Madhya Pradesh as votes were counted in five states.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi returned to power in Telangana and the Mizo National Front won in Mizoram.
(with ANI inputs)
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