People of Delhi wanted to defeat BJP at all costs: Congress leader Rajeev Shukla

He added that his party would introspect on why it failed to get a single seat in the polls, results of which were announced on February 11.

Senior Congress leader Rajeev Shukla on Friday said the people of Delhi gave a massive mandate to the Aam Aadmi Party as they wanted to defeat the BJP at all costs.

Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP retained power in Delhi winning 62 out of 70 seats in the Assembly, with BJP winning the remaining eight seats and the Congress failing to open its account just like the 2015 edition.

“This time voters wanted to defeat the BJP at all costs in the Delhi Assembly elections. They feared if votes got split, the BJP, which contested on communal issues, would have won. So people unitedly voted for AAP,” Mr. Shukla said.

He added that his party would introspect on why it failed to get a single seat in the polls, results of which were announced on February 11. He also rejected speculation of a “secret alliance” between the Congress and the AAP.

“Why should there be such a secret alliance? We fight elections with full force everywhere. We have defeated the AAP in the Punjab Assembly elections,” Mr. Shukla said.

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Queried about Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that some hardline remarks of the BJP leaders may have affected the party in the polls, Mr. Shukla said. “People will believe in Mr. Shah’s statement only when the BJP takes disciplinary action against such leaders who made hate speeches.”

“Statements like ‘goli maro’ and ‘Indo-Pak match’ should not have been made. Our party has distanced itself from such remarks,” Mr. Shah had said at a Times Now programme.

Replying to a question, Mr. Shah had also admitted that the BJP may have suffered in the Delhi polls because of such statements.

Asked about External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement that a book had claimed Jawaharlal Nehru did not want Sardar Patel in his cabinet, Mr. Shukla said, “We did not expect such a statement from Jaishankar. Historical documents contradict his statement. So it would be appropriate that he apologise for this statement about Nehru.”

He hit out at the BJP claiming the ruling party at the Centre took to attacking Nehru every time it ran out of issues to speak.

Mr. Shukla also cast doubts on the Narendra Modi government’s intention as far as providing quota to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in jobs and educational institutions was concerned.

He alleged that the BJP wanted to deprive people from these communities of the benefits of reservation.