NEW DELHI, May 19 - Hailing the BJP�s victory in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the party�s victory in the State has come as a surprise to many and that his party will take the development journey of the State to new heights.
The Prime Minister arrived to a thunderous welcome at the 11 Ashoka Road party headquarters, with BJP national president Amit Shah formally receiving him with a bouquet of flowers and a gamocha. Modi had come to chair the BJP�s Parliamentary Board meeting this afternoon to take stock of the Assembly election results in the five States.
Party sources hinted that the Prime Minister, along with Amit Shah, is expected to take part in the swearing-in ceremony. Modi is scheduled to tour North East to take part in the plenary meeting of the North Eastern Council scheduled for May 27.
Meanwhile, Modi said that the Assembly results have made it clear that development agenda of the Government has worked and people have welcomed the slogan of development.
The Prime Minister also thanked the party workers and leaders of Assam as well as the central leadership for their hard work.
Earlier, the Prime Minister tweeted: �Thank the people of Assam, WB, TN, Puducherry and Kerala for their support and assure them we will always work hard & serve them. BJP will do everything possible to fulfil dreams and aspirations of the people of Assam and take the State�s development journey to new heights.�
Meanwhile, Amit Shah said that the BJP is two steps closer to its aim of creating a �Congress-mukt Bharat�. His comment came soon after the results of the Assembly elections in Assam and Kerala were announced.
About BJP�s win in Assam, he said the result was testimony to the Modi Government�s good work.
The party leadership also thanked the people of Assam and credited the victory there and the increased vote share in other States to party workers, State leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
�The verdict is a lesson for Congress for its obstructionist politics in Parliament,� Shah said at a press conference here.
He congratulated the Prime Minister, chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma and other leaders and workers for the victory in Assam and also praised the hard work of leaders in States like Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
�The unmatched efforts and sacrifice of our workers in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have established a strong party base in those States,� he added.
Union Minister Sushma Swaraj said the Assam poll victory is a result of lifetime work of workers and leaders in building the organisation. �My heartfelt gratitude to the people of Assam for electing a BJP Government in the State. Profound greetings to the BJP workers of Assam,� she said.
�This victory is the result of lifetime work of those who dedicated their lives building the organisation in the North East. My greetings to BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,� she said.
Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said BJP�s victory in Assam is a �happy gift� to the party and the Prime Minister on completion of two years of the NDA Government at the Centre.
�Today�s result is a clear slap on the face of opportunistic Opposition alliance. The Assembly results clearly showed that people of India are intolerant towards Congress party because Congress was not ready to accept the verdict of the people,� he told reporters.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress accepted the verdict of the people of Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.
In a statement, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said: �I thank all the voters who participated in strengthening our democratic process during these elections as also the Congress workers and leaders who worked hard during the campaign. I congratulate the people of Puducherry for giving the party the mandate.
�We will introspect into the reasons for our loss and will rededicate ourselves to the service of the people with greater vigour,� she said.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter and said: �We will work harder till we win the confidence & trust of people. I take this opportunity to thank every Congress worker and leader and our allies for their effort during these elections.
�We accept the verdict of people with humility. My best wishes to the parties that have won the elections,� his tweeted.
