People of Delhi wanted to defeat BJP at all costs Shukla

    Indore, Feb 14 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Rajeev
Shukla on Friday said the people of Delhi gave a massive
mandate to the Aam Aadmi Party as they wanted to defeat the
BJP at all costs.
    Arvind Kejriwal's AAP retained power in Delhi winning
62 out of 70 seats in the Assembly, with BJP winning the
remaining eight seats and the Congress failing to open its
account just like the 2015 edition.
    "This time voters wanted to defeat the BJP at all
costs in the Delhi Assembly elections. They feared if votes
got split, the BJP, which contested on communal issues, would
have won. So people unitedly voted for AAP," Shukla said.
    He added that his party would introspect on why it
failed to get a single seat in the polls, results of which
were announced on February 11. He also rejected speculation of
a "secret alliance" between the Congress and AAP.
    "Why should there be such a secret alliance? We fight
elections with full force everywhere. We have defeated AAP in
the Punjab Assembly elections," Shukla said.
    Queried about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's
statement that some hardline remarks of BJP leaders may have
affected the party in the polls, Shukla said. "People will
believe in Shah's statement only when BJP takes disciplinary
action against such leaders who made hate speeches."
    "Statements like 'goli maro' and 'Indo-Pak match'
should not have been made. Our party has distanced itself from
such remarks," Shah had said at a Times Now programme.
    Replying to a question, Shah had also admitted that
the BJP may have suffered in the Delhi polls because of such
statements.
    Asked about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's
statement that a book had claimed Jawaharlal Nehru did not
want Sardar Patel in his cabinet, Shukla said, "We did not
expect such a statement from Jaishankar. Historical documents
contradict his statement. So it would be appropriate that he
apologise for this statement about Nehru."
    He hit out at the BJP claiming the ruling party at the
Centre took to attacking Nehru every time it ran out of issues
to speak.
    Shukla also cast doubts on the Narendra Modi
government's intention as far as providing quota to Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in jobs
and educational institutions was concerned.
    He alleged that the BJP wanted to deprive people from
these communities of the benefits of reservation. PTI HWP MAS
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)