New Delhi: Asserting that the mandate in Karnataka Assembly polls was against the Congress, BJP president Amit Shah on Monday said the party has found a new way of portraying defeat as its victory.
Shah also asked the Congress to explain to the people of Karnataka why they were celebrating even when most of their ministers had lost election.
"Only Congress and JD(S) are celebrating, people of Karnataka are not (celebrating)," he told reporters.
The mandate given by people of Karnataka was against the Congress. There was no confusion about it, he said.
"If we had not staked claim to form government, it would have been against the mandate of Karnataka people," he asserted
Congress has found a new way of portraying defeat as its victory, Shah said, taking a swipe at the rival party, and added that he hopes this new definition of victory continues till 2019 as it will benefit the BJP.
"Congress is now starting to have faith in constitutional bodies like Supreme Court, Election Commission and they even like EVMs," Shah said and voiced hope that it continues even when the Congress loses and is unable to form the government, taunting the party which has been critical of the the poll panel and the apex court's functioning in recent times.
He also claimed that the Congress lawyer lied in the Supreme Court that BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa had sought seven days' time from the governor to prove majority in the House.
The May 12-Karnataka Assembly polls threw up a hung assembly, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 104 seats. The Congress was next with 78 and the JD(S) followed with 37.
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, who has the Congress support, was invited to form the government after B S Yeddyurappa of the BJP on May 19 stepped down as the chief minister without facing the floor test in the state assembly as the BJP fell short of numbers.
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