New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of its performance in the recent legislative council elections, urging him to reflect on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) losses in Varanasi and Nagpur.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that from Varanasi and Nagpur to Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Patna, the people have clearly passed a "no-confidence motion against" the PM's policies.
"The Prime Minister needs to introspect, but instead, he's sermonising others! Before counting Congress's seats, I wish he'd also reflect on why the BJP lost both seats in his own parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, and how Congress managed to defeat the BJP in RSS's stronghold of Nagpur?" Ramesh said in his post in Hindi on X.
"Mr. Modi, stop the trolling. Crores of families are reeling from back-breaking inflation, the youth are unemployed, and private investment has ground to a halt," he said.
प्रवचनमंत्री जी को आत्मविश्लेषण की ज़रूरत है, लेकिन वे दूसरों को प्रवचन दे रहे हैं!कांग्रेस की सीटें गिनने से पहले काश यह भी विचार कर लेते कि उनके अपने संसदीय क्षेत्र वाराणसी की दोनों सीटों पर भाजपा क्यों हारी और RSS के गढ़ नागपुर में कांग्रेस ने भाजपा को कैसे हराया?मोदी जी,ट्रोलिंग बंद कीजिए। करोड़ों परिवार कमरतोड़ महंगाई से त्रस्त हैं, युवा बेरोज़गार हैं और निजी निवेश ठप पड़ा है। अहंकार छोड़कर इन मुद्दों पर विचार करिए!वाराणसी और नागपुर से लेकर लखनऊ, प्रयागराज, पटना की जनता ने स्पष्ट रूप से आपकी नीतियों के ख़िलाफ़ अविश्वास प्रस्ताव पारित किया है।
Drop the arrogance and reflect on these issues, Ramesh said.
"From Varanasi and Nagpur to Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Patna, the people have clearly passed a no-confidence motion against your policies," the Congress leader said.
The Congress on Wednesday had hit back at Prime Minister Modi over his taunt, saying that if the prime minister is so confident that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have no bearing on election results, he should prove his confidence in the BJP's electoral prowess through action, not rhetoric.
The Congress said if the prime minister believes that EVMs have no bearing on the election results then he should commit to conducting all Lok Sabha and upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections by ballot paper, going forward.
The opposition party's assertion came after Prime Minister Modi taunted the Congress for its dismal show in the MLC elections despite the use of paper ballots, a key demand of opposition parties in their campaign against EVMs.
The BJP and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies won 16 of the 28 seats in the legislative council elections held across four states as the Congress won one, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) emerged winner in five seats in Uttar Pradesh, including two in Varanasi.