Gujarat’s minister of state for home Pradeepsinh Jadeja, while explaining the BJP’s reduced tally of 99 seats, told the state assembly that butchers and bootleggers also voted against BJP.
Abdul Hafiz Lakhani | Caravan Daily
AHMEDABAD — The BJP tally in recent Gujarat Assembly polls was restricted to 99 seats because butchers, bootleggers and those opposing the proposed triple talaq bill didn’t vote the saffron party, Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said in state Assembly.
He was speaking on the motion of thanks to Governor OP Kohli’s address to the House on the first day of the Budget session on February 19 when the topic veered towards the BJP’s poll performance following a dig by the Congress.
Jadeja said, “BJP did not get the votes of cow slaughterers, as we introduced strict action against cow slaughter. Neither did we get the votes of bootleggers, as the liquor prohibition act got stricter. These sections apart, we did not get the votes of people who were distressed by the teen talaq ruling, and owners of private schools, since an act was introduced to regulate the fee. All those votes went to Congress. We are happy that those whose lives were changed through the developmental initiatives, did vote for BJP.“
“The BJP came to power for the sixth consecutive term and all the Lok Sabha members are from our party in the state. This shows that the people of Gujarat have deep faith in the saffron party. Congress was dethroned 33 years ago, and this is why they indulge in destructive politics,“ Jadeja added.
In the keenly-fought elections held last December, the BJP managed to retain power for a sixth straight term though its tally fell to 99 seats. The Congress won 77 seats in the 182-member House.
“Many school owners were unhappy because we brought a law to cap their fees. Those who were angry with the BJP government at the Centre for introducing a bill to protect Muslim women against triple talaq also did not give us votes. But, we are not bothered about them,” the minister said.
Jadeja said the Congress gained only 77 seats though its leaders tried to incite people through casteist and communal politics.
“Congress leaders used to claim ahead of the polls that the party will come to power by winning over 125 seats. However, they got only 77 seats,” he said.
In an apparent dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi who visited a string of temples during electioneering, Jadeja said, “Though a top Congress leader who never visited temples before visited so many temples ahead of the polls, it did not help the party to come to power in Gujarat”.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Baldevji Thakor said, “the BJP is having a misconception that only Narendra Modi did Gujarat’s development and no other Chief Minister ever existed before him.”
Hitting back, Jadeja said it was indeed Modi who had put the state on the track of development when he was chief minister of Gujarat.
Jadeja said the BJP came to power “with the votes of rural people, youths who got employment, and women who were benefited from the policies of the government”.
Another Congress MLA Vikram Madam said the BJP was reduced to just 99 seats, much less than their target of 150 seats, set by the party leadership ahead of the polls.
In a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, “Good dialogues will help a movie to become successful (but) to run a country successfully, you need to have concrete plans”.
“It was the BJP’s vision to win 150 seats. You need to do an introspection as why you were reduced to just 99. Even half of your previous Cabinet lost. If you have really done any development, then such a situation may not have arrived,” said Madam.
