New Delhi: In run up to the Bihar Assembly elections, Bhartiya Janata Party Chief Amit Shah had commented that “if by mistake BJP loses the polls crackers will go off in Pakistan.”
After BJP's stinging defeat in Assembly polls, results of which were announced today, Shah's controversial comment was recalled and became a subject of derision and humour in political circles and social media.
Pakistan Senator Sherry Rehman said in a tweet, “Crackers? Pakistan would care if any of this was about cricket. Otherwise a #Bihar loss or win for BJP is more imp to India than anyone else.”
Pakistani journalist Naila Inayat, tweeted that she had “to go and set off firecrackers for BJP's defeat”.
Here are some other tweets from Pakistan on BJP's stunning defeat:
In the past, several BJP leaders have in controversial comments said that those opposed to the government's policies or the ruling party should be sent to Pakistan. “I dont know about Pakistan but I can hear a lot of crackers in India #BiharResults,” wrote @shammybaweja.
“Now expecting this year's annual NASA Diwali picture to show more lights in Pakistan than India because BJP did not win,” tweeted Subhasish Das.
“Pakistan gonna be mad polluted tonight,” said a tweet by Rohan.
Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that to say in the Bihar campaign that fireworks will be let off in Pakistan if the grand alliance won reflected an “autocratic and arbitrary” attitude.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also responded in a lighter vein when a passenger on landing in Delhi said, “we can't really see anything outside.”
“Sorry, it's all the smoke from the crackers in Pakistan,” Omar tweeted in an indirect jibe at Shah.
After Shah's “firecrackers in Pakistan” comment, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had during the poll campaign returned the fire, saying Mumbai and Amritsar will witness “maximum fireworks” if the BJP loses Bihar assembly polls, alluding to its strains with allies in Maharashtra and Punjab.
On trends that initially showed the BJP-led combine ahead of the grand alliance, Omar earlier said, “The BJP needs to get a refund from some news channels for crackers wasted this morning.” Some BJP workers in Patna had burst crackers on the basis of the initial trends shown by some TV channels that put the party-led NDA ahead.
(With inputs from PTI)
