Gujarat, HP poll win vindicates demonetisation, GST decision: Sushil Modi

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday said party's victory in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh vindicated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's big policy decisions of demonetisation and GST. 

The poll outcome is also a big slap on those who mocked demonetisation and GST by terming the latter as "Gabbar Singh Tax", he said alluding to Congress newly appointed President Rahul Gandhi comment. 

"The poll results vindicate PM's decisions of demonetisation and GST (Goods and Services Tax)," Sushil Modi, a member of GST council, told reporters at party's state headquarters here. 

Sushil Modi accompanied by Bihar ministers Mangal Pandey, Nand Kishore Yadav and Prem Kumar thanked people of the two states for their verdict and also congratulated the PM and party President Amit Shah over the victory. 

BJP leaders fed laddoos to each other besides hundreds of party workers burst crackers at party's state headquarters at Beer Chand Patel Path and smeared gulal on each other's face as part of celebration over BJP win. 

BJP won in big commercial cities like Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara where traders had faced impact of GST, Sushil Modi said to drive home his point. 

It was not an easy thing to register sixth victory in a row in Gujarat especially when the party was in power for past 22 years and amid Patidar movement and negative campaigns run by opposition against GST and demonetisation, Dy CM, who also holds finance porfolio, said. 

Sushil Modi used an interesting coinage saying that Congress party vitiated the electoral atmosphere by playing caste politics by invoking "HAJ" (Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani) which was defeated by BJP's "RAM" (Rupani, Amit Shah and Narendra Modi). 

Anticipating RJD President Lalu Prasad's reaction over Gujarat poll, Sushil Modi said "I know what Lalu Prasad is supposed to say. Now he would find fault with EVMs." 

Bihar health minister and party's Himachal Pradesh in-charge Mangal Pandey said the people of Himachal Pradesh have voted against "rampant corruption and mafia raj" that prevailed under Congress rule in the hill state.