Chirag Paswan said hate speech was not needed and it "took away the focus from work"
The repeated hate speech by some of the BJP leaders ahead of Delhi elections has made its allies in Bihar uncomfortable. The state will have its assembly elections before the year ends and Chirag Paswan, the son of Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, today said he would make his objections known if the BJP's Delhi strategy was repeated in Bihar.
Asked if the BJP's focus on Shaheen Bagh and targeting the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protesters was a mistake, Chirag Paswan told NDTV: "Of course it was a mistake. Had it not been a mistake, we wouldn't have performed this bad".
Asked if hate partially worked for the BJP, he said, "Vote percentage definitely increased, what was the reason I don't know. But the increased vote percentage was not good enough".
The BJP is holding a meeting today to introspect on the reasons of its poor performance in Delhi.
Despite a massive campaign that roped in most of its 270 parliamentarians, 70 union ministers and state leaders, the BJP just marginally increased its tally in the Delhi elections -- up from three seats of 2015 to eight seats.
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, which had steered clear of the Shaheen Bagh and CAA controversies and focused on its work over the last five years, scooped up the rest -- a whopping 62 of the 70 assembly seats.
Mr Paswan today admitted the BJP should have focused on the Centre's achievements instead of the strategy it pursued. Hate speech, he said, was not needed and it "took away the focus from work".
"Local elections must be fought on local issues. If you start talking about something else, it will not work," the 37-year-old leader added.