In the BJP’s bid to tame errant allies and use Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to sustain its victory momentum, the Nationalist Congress Party’s support offers it more leverage over the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

A beaming BJP president Amit Shah described his party’s performance in the Haryana and Maharshtra Assembly elections as a successful referendum on Modi’s credibility and another step in the movement to “rid India of the Congress”.

The BJP, he said, is respectful of its allies but not at the cost of containing its own growth.

Downplays NCP offer

Shah was cautious about not making even a peripheral comment on the NCP’s offer while with regard to Sena, he reiterated that the BJP never wanted to sever ties with its oldest ally.

“I am being asked the same question about the NCP in different ways and I have only one answer –— that the NCP said nothing about joining the government in Maharashtra. If you pay attention, you will realise that all that Praful Patel has said is that the BJP is the biggest party and we should form the government and they are supportive,” said Shah.

But in its former ally’s case, Shah underlined that Sena’s intransigence broke the alliance. As it turned out, the BJP was right about insisting on a change in their seat-sharing agreement. Shah appeared to be more willing to do business with Sena. He referred to the BJP-Shiv Sena’s continued alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the fact that the Sena MP Anant Geete is still a Minister in the Union Cabinet.

“With the Shiv Sena, let me be very clear — we didn’t want to upset anything. It was the Sena that broke the alliance over three seats. Now it is proved who was right. We are not unreasonable with our allies... we are continuing in the BMC and Geete continues as a Minister,” said the BJP president.

On whether the BJP will continue its solo run in other States, Shah said, “We are respectful of our allies and want to be together. But what can we do when Haryana Janhit Congress demands 45 seats in the State?”

By-polls, no barometer

According to Shah, the assembly elections are a befitting response to commentators who “over-analysed certain assembly by-elections”. He was referring to the recently held by-polls, especially in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan where the BJP lost ground to regional parties.

Even on Sunday, while the BJP was celebrating its victory in Haryana and the near certainty of forming the government in Maharashtra, the Samajwadi Party wrested the Kairana assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh. Shah pointed out that by-elections are not a good barometer for reading popular sentiment.

“Some people had started raising doubts about us after a couple of by-elections. This election proves beyond doubt that Narendra Modi is the uncontested leader of the people.

“It proves that in every State, people support the programmes and policies of the Central Government,” Shah said. He said in Haryana, where the BJP had never contested more than 26 seats and never won more than 16, the party is set to secure a simple majority in the 90-member House with a staggering 33.2 per cent of the vote share. In Maharashtra, he said, the BJP has secured 27.7 per cent vote share in a four-cornered contest.

“This election has once again proved the people have placed their trust in the credibility of the Modi government and that they want a ‘Congress- Mukt ’ India,” the BJP president added.

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