BJP Repeating Bihar Mistake in Uttrakhand, Says Congress

Dehradun: Congress on Tuesday said BJP was repeating the "mistake" it committed in Bihar by contesting the assembly elections in the state on the strength of its national leaders and will meet the same fate in Uttarakhand.

"State elections cannot be won by national leaders. You need local leaders and local issues for assembly elections. BJP is repeating the mistake it committed in Bihar and is bound to meet the same fate in Uttarakhand," Tiwari told reporters here.

Accusing the BJP of banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party's central leadership to drive the party to victory in Uttarakhand as it did not have faith in its state leaders, he said the party could not hope to win the polls like this.

"It should clarify whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP resident Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley or Nitin Gadkari will become the chief minister of the state," he said.

He said the last 31 months of Modi government on the strength of which the BJP is asking for votes in Uttarakhand has been a failure on all the five parametres on which performance of any government should be assessed including communal amity, political stability, economic development, internal security and international diplomacy.

"On all these parameters of governance BJP has been a total failure," he said.

Accusing the BJP of playing with the country's secular fabric by raking up non-issues like love jehad and the food habits of different communities, he said it was because of these factors that people from different walks of life were speaking against its "fascist" tendencies.

He also charged the party with creating political instability in Uttarakhand and derailing its development by dislodging a democratically elected government which was saved after the intervention of the courts of law.

Note ban had dealt a "big blow" to the common man, Tiwari claimed adding BJP has not been able to tell what the country has gained through demonetisation.

"There has been negative investment for the first time in the country whereas the growth rate has steadily declined," he said.

Alleging Centre's failure on the internal security front, the Congress leader said the conditions in Jammu and Kashmir have "worsened whereas Maoism is raising its ugly head in central India once again."

Tiwari also criticised the BJP government for its policy on Pakistan which he said lacked coherence.