Results should ring alarm bells as people have rejected BJP’s politics of polarisation: Congress

New Delhi: As BJP suffered reverses in the assembly bypolls, Congress said the results should ring alarm bells for the saffron party as people have rejected its "politics of polarisation" and claimed anti-incumbency factor has set in within 100 days of Modi government coming to power.

"People did not like the attitude of BJP and Modi government. While the Prime Minister himself kept silent, BJP leaders and ministers in the Modi government played the politics of polarisation through their statements," Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said on Tuesday.

He noted that Congress' gains in Gujarat and Rajasthan were significant as in the Lok Sabha polls it had drawn a blank in both states.

"Now we will try to improve our performance," said Ahmed, who is AICC general secretary in-charge for poll bound Haryana.

Turning to Uttar Pradesh, the Congress spokesman alleged that "full authority" had been given to people who were responsible for inciting riots in the state.

"Leave aside caste, creed and religion, these communal forces were acting as triggers to incite fight between husband and wife," he said in an obvious reference to BJP raking up the issue of "Love Jihad", the alleged forcible conversion of Hindu girls through marriage.

He said that the bypoll verdict shows that "this is the first government whose anti-incumbency factor has started working within 100 days of coming to power. Alarm bells are ringing for the BJP".