'Does Cong' loss mean India's loss': Modi in RS

Attacking "arrogant" Congress for questioning the mandate of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that it was "unfortunate" that such statements were being made.

"Did India lose in Wayanad? Did India lose in Rae Bareli? Did India lose in Thiruvananthapuram, what about Amethi? What kind of argument is this? If Congress loses then does that mean India lost? There is a limit to arrogance. Congress could not win a single seat in 17 states," he said in his reply to the debate on the President's address in Rajya Sabha.

"I was saddened when some leaders said - 'the BJP and allies won the elections but the nation lost, democracy lost.' I see this as an insult to the people's mandate and democracy. Why question the decision of the voters? I want to clearly say that such statements are unfortunate," he added.

 

Reiterating that the government was elected with a full majority once again after a long time, Modi said that the mandate was given for stability.

"It is after a long time that a government with a full majority was elected once again with a full majority. In this mandate, we see the desire of the people for stability. In fact, this trend of stable governments is being seen in various states too," he said.

Modi underlined that the people of the country chose stability, adding that "voters were fighting the elections more than political leaders." He asserted that it is important to respect the country's electoral process and democracy.

Continuing his attack against Congress, the Prime Minister said, "My friends in the Congress have not been able to digest our victory. They have not been able to accept defeat. This is not a healthy sign in a democracy.

Riding on muscular nationalism and a strident anti-Congress plank, BJP stormed back to power by winning 303 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Along with its allies, the numbers swelled up to 353. The Congress put up a poor show for the second consecutive time, managing only 52 seats.

While beginning his address, Modi paid tributes to Rajasthan BJP president Madan Lal Saini, who passed away two days ago.

Invoking Arun Jaitley, who served as Leader of House in the Rajya Sabha during BJP's first term, Modi said, "All members of the Rajya Sabha are always curious to listen to the eloquence of Arun Jaitley in all sessions. However, he is recuperating from a health condition. We miss him this time but hopefully, we will have the privilege of hearing him again soon enough.