‘From Varanasi to Nagpur’: Congress' Jairam Ramesh says voters reject PM Modi govt’s policies

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday questioned the PM Modi government over unemployment, inflation and private investment, saying voters delivered a “no-confidence motion” against its policies.In a post on X, Ramesh asked PM Modi to introspect instead of targeting the Congress, citing the BJP’s electoral setbacks in Varanasi and Nagpur.“The Prime Minister needs to introspect, but instead, he's lecturing others! Before counting Congress's seats, I wish he'd also reflect on why the BJP lost both seats in his own parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, and how Congress managed to defeat the BJP in RSS's stronghold of Nagpur?” Ramesh wrote.“Mr. Modi, stop the trolling. Crores of families are reeling from back-breaking inflation, the youth are unemployed, and private investment has ground to a halt. Drop the arrogance and reflect on these issues!” he added.Ramesh further claimed that voters in several cities had rejected the BJP-led government's policies. “From Varanasi and Nagpur to Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Patna, the people have clearly passed a no-confidence motion against your policies,” he added.Modi’s jibe at Congress over MLC pollsThe Congress leader’s remarks came a day after PM Modi took a swipe at the party over the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) performance in the legislative council elections across four states.In a post on X on October 28, PM Modi referred to elections held for 28 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka, asking how many seats the Congress had won.The BJP won 13 of the 28 Legislative Council seats contested across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka, while the Samajwadi Party won five seats in Uttar Pradesh including Varanasi.In Karnataka, the BJP-led NDA swept all four seats, with the BJP winning three and the JD(S) wresting the Bengaluru Teachers’ seat from the Congress.In Maharashtra, the BJP won the Pune Teachers’ seat, the Shiv Sena won Amravati Teachers’, the Congress retained Nagpur Graduates’, and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction won Pune Graduates’ and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates’.In Bihar, the BJP won three of the eight seats, while the JD(U), RJD and Jan Suraaj Party won one each, and two went to Independents. RJD’s Sanjeev Kumar defeated BJP veteran Nawal Kishore Yadav in Patna Teachers’, JD(U)’s Neeraj Kumar retained Patna Graduates’, and Jan Suraaj’s Suresh Prasad Rai won Darbhanga Teachers’, giving the party its first seat in the Legislative Council.Independent candidates Rahul Raj and Banshidhar Brijvasi also won seats in Bihar.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.