People can be fooled only once: Shiv Sena to BJP after Bihar poll drubbing

Shiv Sena on Monday took a dig at its ally BJP and said that money power cannot help win every elections.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena on Monday took a dig at its ally Bharatiya Janata Party over the latter's massive drubbing in the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls and said that money power cannot help win every elections.

In a stinging attack on its alliance partner BJP, Shiv Sena said that the poll verdict has proved that people can be "fooled only once".

An editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana' also said that JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar's remarkable performance was due to several factors, the key being his "clean" campaign and honest image.

"Those who had taken the Delhi Assembly election lightly will have to take the Bihar results seriously because this was a direct fight between Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi. Even after using political might, money and various announcements, the BJP could not even win 60 seats while its allies have been buried 20 feet underground," said Sena, which partners the BJP -led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

It said that one of the reasons behind the grand alliance's win was that Kumar did not lie and worked after taking the people into confidence.

"He did not make false promises, stopped hooliganism and brought law and order. He did not show off money and power. He went ahead with simplicity and during the course of campaigning, did not use uncivilised language. All this led to his victory," Sena said.

"One can win an election using power and money only once, like you can make a fool out of a person only once... We do not know if crackers have been burst in Pakistan after Nitish Kumar's victory, but, in Bihar, crackers are certainly being burst," it added in a sharp rebuke of BJP.

Shiv Sena's fresh attack on the BJP came shortly after the latter was pushed to barely 53 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.

Through an editorial published in its mouthpiece, the party also gave a piece of advice to the BJP, saying that it needs to learn a lesson in humility from the Bihar verdict.

The BJP didn't have their feet firmly on the ground, the Sena article said.

The Sena editorial also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he addressed about 30 rallies in the state, but the results are not proportionate.

The editorial said despite spending all resources, the BJP suffered humiliation.

Shiv Sena also added that if Maharashtra goes to elections today, then it will win comfortably.

Blaming the BJP, Sena said the party did the same during Maharashtra Assembly polls, when the Prime Minister and all ministers camped in the state yet Sena won 63 seats.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackery and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray also congratulated Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over phone for his echoing victory in the Bihar Assembly elections.

Conveying his 'Diwali' greetings to Nitish Kumar, the Shiv Sena chief wished him to run a smooth government in Bihar that would pave the way for development in the state.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said on Sunday that the Bihar elections result marked the decline of a leader.

"It will bring in a new turn in the country's politics. If the elections are held in Maharashtra now, the results will be the same," said Raut.

Meanwhile, MNS chief Raj Thackeray also congratulated grand alliance leaders Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad, and described their win in the Bihar elections as "a victory for politics of regional pride, development and social justice".