Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the latter's comparison by his supporters with first prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, saying the former got the one-third majority while the iconic leader received the two-third majority.
Calling Modi's supporters drumbeaters, Jairam Ramesh said they were trying to justify the former's electoral performance unnecessarily.
"The drumbeat to find silver linings in the mandate that has been a moral, political, and personal defeat for Narendra Modi has started. It is being propagated that Mr. Narendra Modi is the first to receive a mandate thrice in a row after Jawaharlal Nehru. How leading a party to 240 seats and becoming an ek-tihaaii Pradhan Mantri is a mandate is not explained," he wrote on X.
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He said the Modi-led BJP won only 240 seats, 32 short of a simple majority. On the other hand, Jawaharlal Nehru won the elections thrice with a massive mandate.
"Nehru, on the other hand, got 364 seats in 1952, 371 seats in 1957, and 361 seats in 1962 - a 2/3rd majority each time. Yet he remained a complete democrat, nurturing Parliament so very carefully with his constant presence Neither is Modi the only man since Nehru to be sworn in thrice - in a row or not. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in thrice in 1996, 1998 and 1999. Indira Gandhi was sworn in 4 times in 1966, 1967, 1971 and 1980. The drum beaters will look for anything to justify Mr Narendra Modi's pathetic electoral performance in 2024," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"Nehru, on the other hand, got 364 seats in 1952, 371 seats in 1957, and 361 seats in 1962 - a 2/3rd majority each time. Yet he remained a complete democrat, nurturing Parliament so very carefully with his constant presence Neither is Modi the only man since Nehru to be sworn in thrice - in a row or not. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in thrice in 1996, 1998 and 1999. Indira Gandhi was sworn in 4 times in 1966, 1967, 1971 and 1980. The drum beaters will look for anything to justify Mr Narendra Modi's pathetic electoral performance in 2024," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Narendra Modi, who brought BJP back to power after 10 years in 2014, will now have to depend on his two allies -- Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar.
On Friday, Modi staked a claim to form a government.
PM Modi was elected as leader of the NDA Parliamentary Party. Later, President Droupadi Murmu appointed him as the prime minister-elect.
He will be sworn in as the prime minister of India on June 9.