MANGALORE: "WE were over-confident and the electorate taught us a lesson," former Union minister and Congress candidate for Mangalore Lok Sabha constituency Janardhan Poojary admitted on Sunday.
After overcoming his initial dejection over the poll debacle, Poojary stressed that he was not 'perturbed' over the election verdict but was brimming with enthusiasm and energy to work hard for people.
Addressing mediapersons at the party office in Mangalore, he said the BJP's victory did not signify that people had accepted communal violence.
The verdict is still in favour of peace and the Sangh Parivar should know that communal violence will not be tolerated, he warned.
To a query on whether the mandate indicates Hindutva's victory, Poojary said the victory did not favour Sangh Parivar's Hindutva which advocated violence and vote bank politics.
"It is not Hindutva, but electoral malpractice which played a hand in the BJP's victory," he said.
He said he was receiving calls informing him of malpractices like staining of fingers and taking possession of ration cards to prevent voters from voting. "An officer even contacted me and said that in booths without Congress agents, buttons were pressed to increase votes," he said.
These charges are being verified, the veteran Congress leader informed.
When asked if his tightfistedness caused his defeat, he candidly acknowledged it and said: "I have no money." After a pause he added: "Even if I had, it would still not match the mone y spent by BJP and Sangh Parivar." He expressed happiness on the Congress coming to power at the Centre and described it as a positive verdict against communal forces.
He extended his best wishes to the elected Congress representatives, including M Veerappa Moily who was elected from Chikballapur constituency.
Poojary refused to attribute defeat to in-party fighting and said no heads in the district Congress committee would roll.
DCC president B Ramanath Rai and vice-president Ivan D'Souza were present at the media meet. Â