The Grand Alliance led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar routed the BJP-led coalition despite an aggressive campaign by PM Modi
As the BJP introspects on its Bihar defeat, another parliamentarian from the state has come out with a scathing critique, not sparing even Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi and other leaders had made unseemly comments during the campaign, said Bhola Singh.
"From the Prime Minister down to other leaders, they all appeared 'maryadahin' (undignified). We lost our way and fell hard," Mr Singh, the lawmaker from Begusarai in Bihar, said today.
The outspoken leader has been quoted as saying that the "BJP was not defeated in Bihar, it committed suicide."
"During the campaign, local BJP leaders were sidelined and ignored," he said, adding, "There was no logic to raise issues such as beef and that firecrackers would be burst in Pakistan if the BJP loses. All this resulted in our defeat," he said.
The Grand Alliance led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar routed the BJP-led coalition despite an aggressive campaign by PM Modi, who addressed nearly 30 rallies in Bihar.
The BJP has chalked up the debacle to factors ranging from underestimating the rival Nitish Kumar-Lalu Yadav-Congress coalition to getting its arithmetic wrong and straying from the development agenda.
Two other party parliamentarians, Hukumdev Narayan Yadav and Shatrughan Sinha, have gone public with their caustic assessment.
Mr Yadav has openly blamed the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtrya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its chief Mohan Bhagwat for his comment that quota for backward castes needs to be reviewed.
"Mohan Bhagwat's comment at this time, it filled the backward castes and Dalits with mistrust for the BJP. People showed their faith in Modi... they came in thousands at his rallies, but the RSS chief's comments shook people to the core," Mr Yadav said.
Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha said in tweets: "Wishing great luck to our victorious friends and appealing for introspection to our people. The writing was always on the wall."