Inflation, corruption charges hampered Congress image: BJP

New Delhi, May 13(ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said that inflation and corruption charges against many Congress lawmakers hampered the Congress party's image during the Assembly polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry.

Prasad also said that voters now want a change from the Congress rule in Centre.

"The corruption of UPA (United Progressive Alliance) and the price rise is taking its toll and people are responding," Prasad said.

Scams like the 19th Commonwealth Games, Adarsh housing society scam and the multi-billion dollar telecom scam has left the ruling Congress party in a humiliating position.

Prasad said that except for Assam, the condition of the Congress party was bad, as their ally in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK), had lost to J. Jayalalithaa's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

"Except the accidental lead in Assam because of the palpable division between the AGP (Asom Gana Parishad, Assam's opposition party) and the BJP, it is a sad story for Congress everywhere. The Congress and their ally, the DMK, are decimated in Tamil Nadu. They are struggling to survive in Kerala where they were supposed to have a very wonderful cakewalk," Prasad said.

"In Bengal, it is Mamata Banerjee's extraordinary tsunami all the way, but in spite of such a powerful support base, the Congress could not get the support to itself in spite of the alliance with the TMC (Trinamool Congress)," he added.

According to reports, the TMC-Congress combine has clinched 223 seats, way ahead of the 64 won by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM)-led Left Front government in the 296-member legislative assembly.

The BJP spokesperson also criticized Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi for calling Kerala Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan 'old fossil'.

"I would definitely want to say one thing about Kerala results that the arrogance of two people has been crushed- Prakash Karat (Communist leader) and Rahul Gandhi. The focus of allegations for both of them was Achuthanandan. Prakash Karat did not give ticket to Achuthanandan and Rahul Gandhi had called him 'old fossil' which is not a correct political term and the educated people of Kerala have responded to it," Prasad said.

Eighty-seven-year-old Achuthanandan, who contested and spearheaded the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) campaign in the April 13 polls, emerged victorious.

In the run up to the polls, Rahul Gandhi had taken a swipe at the veteran Marxist leader over his age, telling Kerala voters that if LDF wins, they would have a 93-year-old Chief Minister by the next elections.

Latest media reports suggest the Congress party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is leading with 73 seats, while the Left Democratic Front (LDF) follows closely at 66. (ANI)