‘Touching 400 complete fantasy’: Tharoor laughs off BJP’s claims

New Delhi, May 22

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday dismissed the BJP’s ambitious slogan of crossing the 400-mark in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections as “complete fantasy”. He attributed the BJP’s electoral success in the past to national security issues rather than economic performance.

Addressing a press conference in the Capital, Tharoor spoke about the BJP’s 2019 election strategy of “capitalising” on the Balakot airstrike, following the Pulwama terror attack.

He said, “It was already very clear when the BJP started talking about ‘Abki Baar 400 Paar’ that this was a complete fantasy.”

“In 2019, due to the tragedy in Pulwama and the response in Balakot, the election that should have been about the ‘economic failures’ of the first term of Mr Modi was diverted to the subject of national security. As a result, they maxed out in a number of states,” he stated.

Tharoor claimed that those results were impossible to replicate and it was already visible in the voting patterns. The BJP’s strongholds are showing minimal turnout after the fifth phase of polling, he said.

He expressed confidence that the Congress and the INDIA bloc would perform well in the ongoing elections. “We are doing significantly better than last time in places like Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh.”

The Congress MP refused to be drawn into the controversy surrounding Congress’s ally in the Capital — AAP and its Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal.

Tharoor noted, “…AAP has issued a statement on the matter which, I believe, cannot be improved and does not need to be added to.”

“I honestly feel that this is a serious attempt to distract the public from the real issues like unemployment and inflation. We have to focus on what touches the lives of ordinary Indians. The BJP often tries to use media as a weapon of mass distraction. I request you to not oblige as distraction from the real issues doesn’t serve anyone’s interests.”

He emphasised that the main purpose of this Lok Sabha poll was to change the government in Delhi.

‘Maliwal issue ploy to distract public’

The AAP has issued a statement in Maliwal case. I honestly feel that this is a serious attempt to distract the public from real issues like unemployment and inflation. We have to focus on what touches the lives of ordinary Indians. — Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP