Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday said people have sent out a clear message in the recent Lok Sabha polls that they cannot tolerate "arrogance" or allow any leader to take them for granted.

In an interview with PTI on the eve of launching his own political party, Kishor said the poll results have also removed the question mark over Rahul Gandhi's ability to lead the Congress but added that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha still has to cover some distance before the country can accept him as its leader.

"His (Gandhi's) supporters now believe that the Congress can be revived under him. But there is also another dimension. Has the country accepted him as a leader? I don’t think so," Kishor said.

Asked about his reading of the Lok Sabha poll results, Kishor said, "The results tell us that no leader in this country can take people for granted. People can stand anything but not arrogance. Be it the BJP, the Congress or regional parties, wherever people have seen arrogance and overconfidence, they have demonstrated who is the master." The verdict has boosted the idea that no one is invincible, he added.

While the BJP lost the majority in the polls for the first time in the last three elections under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Democratic Alliance led by the party comfortably crossed the halfway mark.

The opposition INDIA bloc also put up a strong show, defying predictions.

Without naming Modi, Kishor said the voters decided that even if they had to hand him power, they would do so with certain curbs.

Slamming the BJP, he said the ruling party tried to create an impression that the masses lack understanding and will go by whatever claims it made irrespective of its work.

"The BJP thought votes will be inevitably cast in Modi's name. Voters told the party that they may appear illiterate and divided along caste and mandir-masjid lines, but they can rise above them to put you in a place you deserve," he said.

In India no party or leader can become so big that they can have a one-sided sway over the country, said Kishor, who as an election strategist worked for all major parties, including the BJP and the Congress, at different points in time before turning focus entirely to his Jan Suraaj campaign in his home state Bihar.

He noted that BJP's critics spoke of a looming dictatorship under Modi like what was seen under Indira Gandhi. People rejected her and have now told Modi that he is not all-powerful and will get the number of seats he deserves, Kishor said.

Once a trenchant critic of Rahul Gandhi as the Congress suffered a series of poll debacles, Kishor acknowledged his newfound acceptance.

He said Rahul Gandhi's hard work in the run-up to the polls was visible and has helped his party, removing doubts that existed among Congress members about his leadership qualities.

They now believe that he is their leader who can take the party forward, he added.

Asked about his comments before the Lok Sabha polls that Rahul Gandhi should consider taking a break if his party fared poorly again, Kishor referred to the view that the Congress has done well this time.

He said Rahul Gandhi should now work to further strengthen the opposition and his party's revival so that it can become a serious claimant to power.

Kishor, however, sought to put the Congress' relatively better tally of 99 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha in the wider context of its own electoral history.

He said Indians acknowledged Indira Gandhi as their leader and when she suffered her biggest defeat, the Congress still won 154 seats.

The Congress has won 99 seats in its biggest win under Rahul Gandhi, Kishor noted, adding that the difference is visible and that he has to cover some distance before the country accepts him as its leader.

He asserted that he will not be returning to the growing world of political consultancy, of which he was an early pioneer and its most visible face before quitting in 2021, and will continue to be devoted to the improvement of socio-economic conditions in Bihar.

"I used to work for other political parties and leaders by helping them in their campaigns, communication, identifying issues and selecting candidates. I will be doing the same for the people of Bihar now," he said.

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