With the BJP poised for a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections, party president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed party workers at the headquarters on Thursday, 23 May.
“The people’s mandate in 2019 has been for a ‘New India’”, said Modi, thanking the citizens of the country for their vote. He further said:
“If someone has won, it’s Hindustan that has won, it’s democracy that has won, it’s public that has won, & therefore, all BJP & NDA people with humility dedicate this victory to public. I congratulate all the winners, no matter from which party or which region they contested.”
Terming the results the ‘biggest event in history of democracy’, he said that the world would recognise it as so.
He the said that the party would serve the country with “humility, ideals and values.”
“We were not disappointed when we won only 2 seats; we will not leave our humility, ideals and values when we have come back to power.”
He further said that this time around, no political party could wear the ‘garb of secularism to mislead the people.’
“Between 2014 and 2019, the torchbearers of secularism stopped speaking. This time in the elections too, no party could wear the garb of secularism to mislead the people.”
Amit Shah Attacks ‘United Opposition’
“This is a victory for the BJP’s government which worked on ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’ from 2014-2019,” said Shah.
He further added that it’s the first time in 50 years that a Prime Minister was coming back to power with an absolute majority.
“After 50 years, someone has won an absolute majority for the second time in a row.”
Thanking the party workers for their support, Shah also said it was reflection of their hard work and dedication.
“I can say with confidence that in many constituencies across the country, the public has given us more than 50% votes.”
Hitting out at the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, he lauded the party for having won nearly 60 seats in the state.
Also slamming the united opposition, in particular Chandrababu Naidu, Shah said: “Some people made trips across the country to make an alliance, despite exit polls predicting a BJP victory. If only Chandrababu Naidu had put in as much effort in getting votes, he would have made an impact in his state.”
Moving on to West Bengal, where the party has made massive gains, Shah said:
“Even after so much violence and rigging, BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal. It tells that in coming days, BJP will establish its might in West Bengal.”
Cementing leads in almost 300 seats, the saffron party is looking to break its 2014 record of 282 seats in the lower house of Parliament. While PM Modi has won for the second time in Varanasi, party chief Amit Shah’s entry in the Lok Sabha too appears likely, with him leading by over 5 lakh votes in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar constituency.
The party top brass had reportedly informed its workers earlier in the day to reach headquarters by 24 May to celebrate its victory.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)