“BJP lost Ayodhya not due to arrogance but because of complacency,” Pawan Das Shastri told PTI.
Amidst the controversy sparked by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar’s remarks labelling the BJP as arrogant and attributing its restriction to 240 seats in the Lok Sabha to this arrogance, Kumar earlier clarified his position. He stated that the election results demonstrate that those opposing Lord Ram have been defeated, while those aiming to restore Lord Ram’s glory are now in power.
The RSS leader stirred a political storm by asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell short of the majority mark in the recent Lok Sabha elections, securing only 240 seats, due to its perceived arrogance.
“Desh ka vatavaran iss samay mein bahut spasht hai – jinhone Ram ka virodh kiya wo sab satta se baahar hain, jinhone Ram ki bhakti ka sankalp liya aaj wo satta mein hain aur teesri baar ki sarkar Narendra Modi ke netritva mein bann gayi hai. The country will make progress under his leadership – there is this trust among the people. We hope that this trust thrives (The mood of the country is very clear at present. Those who opposed Lord Ram are not in power, those who set the goal to respect Lord Ram are in power and the government has been formed for the third time under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi),” Kumar said while speaking to ANI on Friday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has often claimed in their poll campaigns that they have restored the pride of Lord Ram by constructing the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya which was opposed by the Congress and other opposition parties.When asked about RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s snubbing of the central government over the unrest in Manipur, Indresh Kumar declined to comment, saying, “It is the tradition of the Sangh in this country that one should not comment on the remarks of the Honourable Sarsanghchalak.”Hitting back at the opposition over the backlash over his controversial statement, Kumar pointed out that both Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal made poll predictions.
“Rahul had earlier stated that Narendra Modi will not be the Prime Minister after June 4 (Lok Sabha election results day). Kejriwal had said that the INDIA bloc will win a specific number of seats. These are their announcements in their own political style…,” the RSS leader said.
Kumar asserted that the country has moved forward from such claims and wants to see themselves associated with the new BJP leadership.
“I would only like to say that the country has moved forward from all these. They have set their new target and want to see themselves associated with the new leadership. The Lord has given the opportunity to PM Narendra Modi, BJP and the NDA to take the nation forward at full speed,” he said.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP veteran Lallu Singh, who contested from Faizabad, the parliamentary constituency including Ayodhya, lost to Samajwadi Party’s Awadesh Prasad by more than 54,000 votes. Prasad, a nine-term MLA and a key figure in the SP, clinched victory following a tightly contested battle.
Inputs from agencies