Delhi election result | 'Desh ke gaddaron ko...' should not have been said: Amit Shah breaks silence on poll drubbing

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who campaigned extensively in the national capital, on February 13 broke his silence on BJP's poll drubbing in the Delhi Assembly elections.

Addressing a public gathering at the Times Now Summit in Delhi, Shah said, "I accept our defeat in Delhi elections". The BJP senior leader broke his silence days after the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the Delhi elections to a landslide victory, winning 62 of the total 70 Assembly seats. The BJP came a distant second with eight seats.

Shah, who is believed to have campaigned in 60 of the 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi, also said, "Statements like 'Desh ke gaddaron ko' should not have been made. The party might have suffered because of such statements."

Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur had stoked a controversy with his 'Desh ke gaddaron ko...' remark, for which he was pulled up by the Election Commission. The poll body had barred him from campaigning for 72 hours.

During a campaign, Shah had seemingly lashed out at anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protestors saying, "When you press the button (of EVM) on February 8, do so with such anger that its current is felt at Shaheen Bagh."

He had also said, "On the one side, it’s Narendra Modi, who conducted airstrikes and surgical strikes on Pakistan’s soil to kill terrorists, and on the other, there are these people who back Shaheen Bagh. You have to decide."