Hooda's stubbornness sank Congress, says Rakesh Tikait

Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said on Sunday that former chief minister Bhupinder Hooda’s stubbornness sank Congress after the party fell short of the majority mark to form government in Haryana. 

Reacting to the statement by farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni, he said, “There was resentment among the farmers. It is not that the farmers did not go with other parties. The farmers voted for every party. There is resentment among the people who joined the movement. Those who did not join the movement are with the government.”

“Elections are fought party basis, religion basis and caste basis. People will vote in favour of like-minded parties. The person who is a farmer, a labourer or a shopkeeper will vote for the party whose faith he has. They (farmers) all live together in the organisation. If a person starts considering the people of the organisation as being in his favour, then he is wrong,” he added.

The BKU leader also raised questions on the veracity of EVMs. “You did not understand mathematics. The public has voted…but they (BJP) are the ones who win... Like sugarcane committee elections are being held in UP, their (BJP) direct game here is to cancel the nominations of the people of the other party and win without election,” he told IANS.

“BJP people have become masters of elections… by fighting with sticks, with intellect, or by making people fight with each other, they will win the elections. This is their tactics that we (BJP) have not to give up power… we have to win the elections,” Tikait said.

“There was definitely something wrong in this election (Haryana), we had said this earlier also. EVMs are kept somewhere and then when elections are held somewhere else. Are the EVMs shown to any party before they are sent to booths… the engineers do all the programme setting… yes, it is all a game of EVMs. You press any button…votes will go to them (BJP) only…,” he further said.

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni blamed former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the party's defeat in Haryana.

"Hooda is the biggest reason for Congress' defeat because he did not compromise with anyone, and all responsibility was placed on him," he asserted.