Jaipur: BJP President Rajnath Singh said that Assembly elections in five states would not be a referendum on the Congress-led UPA's performance. Speaking to CNN-IBN he said, "Not a referendum or the semi-final before the next general elections. Issues in local body polls, assembly and national elections are different."
However, he added that in 2003, the BJP won assembly polls in three states and six months later went on to lose Lok Sabha elections.
He said that in 2014 a comparison would be drawn between the performance between the NDA and the UPA rule. Reacting to a question on whether these elections would also be a test case for BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and would Modi be judged by the outcome of the polls, the BJP President said, "Many leaders have campaigned for the party. Modi is the most popular leader. But it would be wrong to interpret the outcome of polls like that. Modi's popularity will help the party. These elections are no referendum on Modi either, his popularity will help in the Lok Sabha elections."
Commenting on the snooping controversy in which Modi has now become the prime target of the Congress, Rajnath Singh said, "Modi has already set up the commission of inquiry. I do not want to say anything more. What more can be said when the person who has been accused in setting up the inquiry and that too a time bound inquiry. Let the investigation be complete. Again I will not get into any debate. The inquiry has been ordered."
Reacting to the discourse and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accusing Modi of lowering the level of debate, Singh said, "It was Modi who was called 'Maut ka saudagar', we were labelled thieves and poisonous. Modi has not done anything like that. Such language IS not a good sign for democracy and public conduct. Dialogue and talks should not breach decorum and standard. Modi has never done that."
However, he refused to speak on sexual assault case against Tehelka Founder-Editor Tarun Tejpal.
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