No regrets for Modi remark: Mukul Sangma

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Thursday said he does not regret his remark that Narendra Modi will never become the prime minister because of his "fundamentalist background".

He said the mandate in the general election was not for the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime minister-designate but for an alternative to the Congress-led government at the centre.

"Why should I regret for saying that? The poll verdict was not for Modi but for an alternative party other than the Congress," he told journalists here.

"People did not look for Modi alone. They were looking for an alternative party and that's why people in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha voted for regional parties due to the strong anti-incumbency wave against the Congress," he said.

However, Sangma said Modi and other parties exploited the strong anti-incumbency and anti-Congress wave and ensured that they get the verdict in their favour.

Sangma said Jan 15 that he does not see Modi becoming the prime minister, and "any person having fundamentalist background in this country cannot aspire and become the prime minister".

On Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's failure to swing the votes in his party's favour, Sangma said: "You cannot blame Rahul Gandhi alone for the poll debacle."

"It's time for everyone to come together and introspect (the poll debacle) to strengthen the party and move forward," he added.

Sangma ruled out resigning as demanded by the opposition National People's Party (NPP) after the Congress candidate lost to NPP chief and former Lok Sabha speaker Purno Agitok Sangma.