New Delhi: On a day when AAP launched campaign in Uttar Pradesh, BJP said it is unlikely to have a significant electoral impact in the state where they claimed the contest was between the party, SP and BSP as Congress was "marginalised".
BJP leader Arun Jaitley accused the SP and BSP of having a "questionable" track record of governance, and termed SP's regime as "disastrous" and that of BSP as "extortionist".
"The Aam Aadmi Party is generating news and catching attention. It is unlikely to have a significant electoral impact in UP," he said in an article.
Noting that the road to Delhi is via Uttar Pradesh, it being the largest state with 80 Lok Sabha seats, he said, "The electoral contest in UP is predominantly between the BJP, SP and the BSP."
The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said the Congress which bagged a surprise 22 seats in 2009 is being marginalised going by the current indications.
Attacking the BSP and SP over its "questionable" track record of governance, Jaitley said, "Samajwadi Party's governance is disastrous. When it is in power the law and order of UP collapses. The social and communal tensions have increased. Uttar Pradesh has seen innumerable communal riots."
On BSP, he said, its "track record was extortionist. It ran a despotic regime."
Jaitley said both these parties in the last 10 years are responsible for keeping the UPA in power and their strategy in supporting the UPA was reciprocal.
"The quid pro quo was to get support from a pliable CBI for the cases of corruption pending against the leaders of these two parties," he said.
The BJP leader said there is a visible change in the popular mood of Uttar Pradesh and caste polarisations are taking a back seat.
"The impact of these social polarisations will be relatively lesser though not entirely eliminated. The eight rallies which Narendra Modi addressed have drawn an unprecedented response.
"The issue in Uttar Pradesh today is governance. The desire for aspirational politics is now visible in UP. There is a complete change in the ground chemistry of Uttar Pradesh politics," he said.
