LS polls fought on 'fake nationalism', state elections will be on local issues: BS Hooda

The Lok Sabha elections were fought on the basis of "fake nationalism" but the upcoming state elections will be fought on local issues, said former Haryana Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday, adding Congress would win in the state.

"The recently held Lok Sabha elections were held and won on the basis of fake nationalism but the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections will be fought on local issues, and Congress will win them. And that is because people are frustrated with the BJP government in the state," Hooda said at a meeting here.

Many Congress MLAs, former MLAs, former MPs, party candidates from the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and other local leaders were present at the meeting which had been called keeping in mind the upcoming state elections.

 

Hooda blamed the Modi factor and "fake nationalism" for Congress' defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and asked the party leaders to shake off the thought of defeat from their minds. He asserted that "people needed to be saved from the useless BJP government" which is in power in the state.

"Lok Sabha results came quite opposite to our expectations due to the Modi factor and their fake nationalism. The Vidhan Sabha elections are near, shrug the defeat from your minds and gear up for the state elections. People need to be saved from the useless BJP government in the state, you have the power to do so, we cannot fight with disappointment in our hearts," Hooda said.

Talking to ANI about the meeting held with his supporters here, Hooda said: "Two resolutions were passed in the meeting -- one requesting Rahul Gandhi to not resign from the party president's post and second - the party should fight the upcoming Assembly elections unitedly."

"The results of the Lok Sabha elections were also discussed in the meeting. A need to organise a meeting of the party leaders was felt after dissatisfaction and infighting broke out between party leaders in Haryana," he said.

The internal bickering, which had been brewing within the party for long, came out in the open at the Congress war room when the party's state president Ashok Tanwar had a verbal spat with senior leaders after MLA Jaitirath Dahiya wrote to Rahul Gandhi against him.

Haryana, where 90-Assembly seats are at stake, is scheduled to go to polls in October this year.