Modi bit of a magician but BJP fast losing popularity: Salman Khurshid

Washington: The ruling BJP is fast losing its popularity while the same cannot be said about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said on Tuesday while addressing students of Georgetown University in Washington.

"It is still three years down the road. The truth is BJP is losing its popularity very fast. But the other side of the truth is Modi has not lost his popularity like his party has. I do not know if this is a good thing or bad thing," Khursid told students of the University when asked about Congress' prospects in the 2019 elections.

"He (Modi) is little bit of a magician. He may have some tricks in his bag to introduce before the next election," he said, adding that it would be sad for the Congress party if it does not come back to power.

Khurshid also accused the Modi government of non-performance.

"I think, it is important for us at this point of time to provide an alternate vision of India of tomorrow that would not rely on his failures or his lack of success," Khurshid said as he gave a critical appraisal of the Modi government since it was voted to power in May, 2014.

"He must not remain the focus of the next election. The focus of the next election must be ideas that the young people can relate to. And ideas that larger section of Indian society can relate to," he said, adding that the Congress should be able to win the election on the basis of an alternative picture of the India that ‘we want’ to build.

Khurshid said under the Modi government, freedom is being put to hard test.

"Today, I think in India freedom is being put to hard test. And the sad thing is that those who should have been guardians of that freedom are joining in the effort to curtail that freedom," the top Congress leader said as he held a section of the Indian media responsible for this.