BJP lost Bihar polls over reservation issue: Sushilkumar Shinde

WARANGAL: Senior Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde today said here that the BJP could not win the Bihar Assembly polls as voters feared that the Modi Government may bring changes in the existing reservation policy.

Reservation policy became a poll issue during the campaign in the politically-sensitive state after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called for a review of the quota system.

"Reservation had been implemented as per the Constitution written by late Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. However, the Modi Government is contemplating to amend the Constitution for (changes in) the reservation and the BJP lost elections in Bihar due to it," the former Union Minister said.

He criticised the NDA Government for coming to power through "false promises".

"At the time of elections, Modi promised to bring black money from abroad and also said that Rs 15 lakh would be deposited in the bank accounts of all Indians. However, so far nothing has been done on that front," he said.

Shinde was addressing a public meeting to campaign for Congress' Warangal Lok Sabha bypoll candidate Sarvey Satyanarayana.

He gave credit to Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the creation of separate Telangana.

"Keeping in view people's aspirations for separate Telangana, Sonia Gandhi played a key role in convincing the smaller parties and others and ensured that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill was passed in the both Houses of Parliament," he said.

Hitting out at Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the Congress leader said, he failed to deliver the welfare programmes that he had promised before the polls.

"He promised to waive the debt of farmers, but later changed his mind and said it will be waived in instalments. Due to all this, many farmers committed suicide in the state," he said adding, "The rate of suicide is higher in Telangana as compared to other states."