Union minister Kiren Rijiju has asserted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ will have no impact on the BJP's electoral prospects, and the NDA will win the Lok Sabha polls with a thumping majority.

The yatra which started on January 14 from Thoubal in Manipur, concluded in Mumbai on March 16, covering a distance of almost 6,700 km.

“Wherever Rahul Gandhi went during his yatra, the Congress will lose all the seats there as nobody takes him seriously. If he refrains from campaigning, there is a probability that the grand old party might win a few seats,” Rijiju, the Union Earth Sciences and Food Processing Industries Minister, told PTI in an interview.

The BJP leader also slammed Gandhi for his “hate speeches” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, contending that it reflects a “deep-seated animosity”.

“The heart, soul and the body of the Congress leader are filled with hatred against the PM and the BJP, which is not good for his health. Gandhi does not like Modi because he comes from a very humble and poor family. Gandhi and his people cannot come to terms with the fact that a poor common man can become the prime minister,” Rijiju claimed.

Modi has been elected as the PM because of his ability, and the love and blessings of people, he said.

Rijiju predicted a massive victory for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, asserting that it would surpass 370 seats and the NDA, as a whole, would win more than 400 seats.

The parliamentary elections as well as assembly polls in some states will be held between April 19 and June 1.

Continuing his attack on Gandhi, the Union minister said: “We never take him seriously. He is a habitual offender, and even courts have warned him about making loose comments.” Rijiju also claimed that the ruling BJP in Arunachal Pradesh would bag 55 seats in the 60-member assembly. The northeastern state has two Lok Sabha seats.

The assembly polls and general elections will be simultaneously held in Arunachal Pradesh on April 19.

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