Shahnawaz Hussain claims BJP will win 301 Lok Sabha seats on its own

Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain has claimed that the BJP will win 301 Lok Sabha seats on its own while the NDA will win 39 out of the 40 LS seats in Bihar due to a "Modi wave" sweeping across the country and a "wave against the entire opposition" this time.

Asserting that there is a "Modi wave" across the country, the party's national spokesman said in Patna on Sunday, people are voting for NDA candidates riding on the Modi wave and the developmental works undertaken by the prime minister in the last five years.

"In 2014, people voted for Modi on the basis of his performance as Gujarat CM and as an alternative to UPA's Manmohan Singh. Though Modi had asked for 272 plus seats in 2014, people gave him 283 seats," the former union minister said.

"But this time, the BJP will win 301 Lok Sabha seats alone on its own. We (NDA) are in a very good position in Bihar and will win 39 out of the 40 seats as the BJP-led alliance is very strong in the state because of the presence of the JD(U), which was not a part of the NDA in the last election," Hussain told PTI.

Dismissing 'The Time' magazine's recent cover story on PM Narendra Modi titled "India's Divider in Chief", the BJP leader said, "It is an insult and disrespect to the country as it has been written against the PM."

Hussain said the "vilification campaign" and "concerted disinformation" spread against the PM by the Congress and other opposition parties have played a role in forming the opinion of the "Pakistani origin" writer.

The American magazine's May 20, 2019 international editions - the Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and South Pacific - feature the Modi cover story with the main headline "India's Divider in Chief".

The article is written by Aatish Taseer, son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani politician and businessman Salmaan Taseer.

Hussain said that he plans to write a letter to the magazine rebutting what has been written in its cover story.

Modi is a PM who believes in 'Sabka sath sabka vikas', and has never discriminated against minorities, he said.

"There has been fewer riots during Modi's rule in such a big country. Minorities are safe and secure as the Modi government is committed to security of all citizens," the BJP leader said.