Exit polls: Congress, Trinamul upset

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar says India faces the worse threat to its body polity since Jinnah's two-nation theory led to the country's Partition.

Mani Shankar Aiyar

Aiyar told CNN-IBN channel during a panel discussion that 'Narendra Modi and BJP-RSS combine have polarised the nation by their religious politics'.

"It is the worst time for our Republic since Jinnah divided the country by his religious politics epitomised by the two-nation theory. We are bracing for some real bad days," said Aiyar, as BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad rejoiced exit polls predicting a clear victory for BJP-led NDA.

Prasad also rubbished Aiyar and said it was the Congress which was 'creating communal tensions'.

"BJP believes in inclusive politics, we treat all equally and don’t believe in any special treatment for any community.

“It is Congress which loves keeping people divided by treating them differently," Prasad said.

He flaunted Gujarat's record of no communal riots since 2002.

Ravi Shankar Prasad

To which Aiyar shot back sarcastically : "One such riots like 2002 is good enough to traumatise the minorities forever."

Prasad was not to let go as he brought back anti-Sikh riots after Indira Gandhi's death in 1984 and several other anti-Muslim riots including one in Congress-ruled Assam in 2012.

As the Congress-BJP slugfest continued across India's plethora of TV channels, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Derek O'Brien was asked whether his party will support the BJP-led NDA if it fell short of a majority, as some channels had predicted.

"There is no question of supporting any communal politics. We will not support either UPA or NDA," said O'Brien, as presenters made fun of Mamata Banerjee's 'Federal Front" idea.

Derek O'Brien

Said Times Now's Arnab Goswami "Derek, why don't you bury your Federal Front idea!"

O'Brien smiled back saying: "Let us wait until May 16 (the day of results)".

He also questioned Goswami's channel which said Trinamool will only get 20 seats in West Bengal out of the state's 42 seats.

"Your Bengal figures are trash," he said.

But he was clear on one point -- no Trinamool support for BJP-led NDA.