Bihar defeat has no link with intolerance debate: Dharmendra Pradhan

KOLKATA: The debate over "intolerance" that is raging in the country did not contribute to the BJP-led NDA's defeat in Bihar polls, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said in the wake of the electoral debacle that has given rise to a chorus of dissent within his party.

"The Bihar defeat has no connection with intolerance although many people are trying to link the two," Pradhan told reporters here on the sidelines of a CII seminar.

Talking about the debate sparked by claims of "rising intolerance" in the country, Pradhan charged that "those who are speaking about intolerance, are themselves intolerant".

In an apparent attack on Congress, the petroleum minister said that those who had ruled the country for the most number of years could not digest the fact that a person of humble origin had become prime minister.

"They are the most intolerant," he said without naming any individual or party.

A number of BJP MPs from Bihar have spoken out against the top party brass and faulted their campaign for raking up controversial issues and using "undignified" language.