Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday hailed the Congress' performance in three Hindi heartland states and said the poll results had set the alarm bells ringing for the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.
He said the Congress' performance showed that the party was on an upswing in the country.
"These polls were being treated as the semi-final to 2019 (general election). The Congress' performance has been quite impressive in the Hindi heartland states. The results have set the alarm bells ringing for the BJP-led government at the Centre," Hooda said, reacting to the assembly poll results in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
He congratulated Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the party's impressive show in the three states where Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in power.
"Under the able leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the party is definitely on an upswing across the country. The credit goes to him and Congress workers...the countdown for the NDA government has begun," Hooda said.
The senior Congress leader alleged that the BJP ignored farmers' plight, which was a big issue in the polls.
"The government did not bother about the plight of farmers. Small traders were badly hit by GST even as Modi government's decision on demonetisation was widely criticised. Besides, unemployment was also another key issue," Hooda said.
The BJP was behind its main rival Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. It was locked in a close contest with the opposition party in Madhya Pradesh, according to latest trends.
The Congress is likely to get an absolute majority in Chhattisgarh and is reaching the simple majority mark in Rajasthan. It is a neck to neck contest in Madhya Pradesh.
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