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Buoyed by its success in Karnataka, Congress Ministers today said this was an "innings defeat" for BJP and the verdict has exposed its star campaigner Narendra Modi.
"In Karnataka, the match is over and BJP has suffered an innings defeat. It will now blame the bat, the ball and the pitch for its defeat. People have now seen the real face of BJP and in Karnataka, people have discarded them lock, stock and barrel," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters outside Parliament House.
He said BJP stands "clearly exposed" and this would be the trend in the forthcoming elections for five state assemblies and general elections to be held next year.
Nath said in the last five months, BJP has lost power in three states including Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the north and Karnataka in the south.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said the victory was a "shot in the arm" for Congress and credited party President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi for the victory in polls.
When asked what message did the election results give to Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi, he said, "The message is no Modi."
Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayansamy said, "BJP brought Narendra Modi in Karnataka, Narendra Modi has drowned and BJP has been finished there."
"We have won despite the disinformation campaign being run against us by BJP in the country and I thank the people of Karnataka for proving them wrong," he said.
