BJP's defeat in Bihar may inspire other secular forces to come together: Congress

Kanpur: Terming the loss of BJP-led NDA in Bihar polls as a “defeat of communal forces”, senior Congress leader Sriprakash Jaiswal on Monday said the victory of the Grand Alliance may inspire other secular forces to come together. [caption id=“attachment_2502132” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] Thanking the voters in Bihar for their mandate, Jaiswal said the people of the state had given a befitting reply to the communal forces. “People of Bihar have put their belief on the Grand Alliance of Congress, RJD and JD(U). This win would affect the politics of the entire nation… Inspire the secular forces to rally together and fight the communal outfits,” he said. To a question if Congress would initiate a similar alliance for 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, he said the elections were still far off but the party may consider tying up with other political outfits to fight communal forces. On being asked whether his party would be part of the Government in Bihar, Jaiswal said Congress has been a part of the alliance and it would also be a part of the government but the final decision would be taken by party chief Sonia Gandhi. In an apparent dig at Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi, Jaiswal said the reality of those who claimed themselves to be secular had come to the forefront after the Bihar elections. PTI