Acche din to fax machine: Opposition’s dig at BJP after election setback

Putting its best electoral performance in years, the Congress wrested Chhattisgarh from the BJP, drew ahead to a majority in Rajasthan and after a neck to neck contest in Madhya Pradesh, edged ahead to form the government in the central state.

The BJP’s debacle in the assembly elections where it lost Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan while being unable to make its presence felt in Telangana drew jibes from senior opposition leaders.

New Delhi, India - Dec. 11, 2018: Congress supporters celebrate party's victory in assembly election outside AICC HQ in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma / Hindustan Times)(Sanjeev Verma /HT PHOTO)

“Ab ki baar, kho do sarkar,” Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted in a rhyming pun on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar” slogan ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

 

As the BJP lost Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh after three consecutive terms in power and was voted out in Rajasthan after a term, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted, “No wonder the BJP is so upset today. The voters just gave them a triple talaaq.” The dig came as the Narendra Modi government sought to gets its ordinance criminalising triple talaaq get adopted as a law in the ongoing parliamentary session.

Attaching a photo of Congress’ Madhya Pradesh chief Kamal Nath’s letter to governor Anandiben Patel seeking an appointment to stake claim to form a government, where it was mentioned that a hard copy was also being sent to the Raj Bhavan, he said: “Good to see that @INCIndia isn’t relying on the Governor’s fax machine in MP!”

 

Tharoor was referring to the controversy over Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik’s claim that he had not received Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti’s fax staking claim to form the government before deciding to dissolve the assembly as there was no one attending the fax machine on a holiday.

National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also picked on this aspect.

“Congress leaders aren’t faxing their letter to Raj Bhavan in Bhopal. Smart people. It may be a similar model to the one in Jammu,” he said.

Putting its best electoral performance in years, the Congress wrested Chhattisgarh from the BJP, drew ahead to a majority in Rajasthan and after a neck to neck contest in Madhya Pradesh, edged ahead to form the government in the central state.