INDIA bloc should be ready to gracefully accept defeat, not question democracy: BJP

The INDIA bloc and the Congress should be ready to gracefully accept their "inevitable" defeat in the Lok Sabha poll rather than "demeaning" the dignity of democracy, the BJP said Monday (June 3), launching a fresh attack on the Opposition on the eve of the counting of votes.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, party national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress and other opposition parties are raising "baseless" questions on the country's election process to create "unrest" in society ahead of counting.

"On the lighter note, I would ask them not to consider the entire country a 'pappu'. Don't try to hoodwink the people of India. They are wise enough to understand that you are levelling these types of allegations to satisfy your ego like a despotic prince," he charged.

"Wait for the results of the elections. Be ready to gracefully accept the defeat, rather than demeaning the dignity of democracy," he added.

Several exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Modi would retain power for a third consecutive term with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress termed their projections "bogus" and said they were a "deliberate attempt to justify rigging" of the elections and part of "psychological games" being played by Modi to lower the morale of the INDIA bloc workers.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi dubbed the exit polls as "Modi media poll".

Also a delegation of opposition INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress's Abhishek Singhvi, approached the poll panel on Sunday and urged it to ensure that all the guidelines are followed on the counting day on June 4, including declaring the postal-ballot results before the outcome of the EVMs is announced.

Trivedi charged, "It is unfortunate. Elections keep happening and governments come and go. But questions should not be raised on the integrity of the democracy and democratic systems." The BJP leader said that the Congress and other constituents of the INDIA bloc have gone "berserk" and started raising questions on the electoral process sensing their "inevitable" defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.

(With agency inputs)