New Delhi: Reacting for the first time after Bharatiya Janata Party's crushing defeat in Delhi Assembly Elections 2020, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that negative statements made by party leaders during poll campaigns was the main reason behind the loss. Shah said that statements like 'goli maro' and 'India vs Pakistan match' should not have been made and BJP distances itself from such remarks.

"BJP may have suffered because of hate statements made by party leaders," Shah said adding that BJP does not fight elections just for victory or defeat and it is a party which believes in expanding its ideology. Furthermore, he also took the blame for party's humiliating loss in Delhi polls and agreed to the fact that his assessment on elections national capital went wrong.

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However, Shah also pointed out that Delhi elections result is not a mandate on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and anyone who wants to discuss the issues related to newly passed legislation can seek time from his office. "Home Ministry will allot time to the person within three days," he said.

While speaking at a TV News channel programme, Shah also reacted to the ongoing protest in Delhi Shaheen Bagh area and said that everyone has a right to protest peacefully. When asked about PFI's link with Shaheen Bagh protest, Shah said that the government is looking into all the reports.

The former BJP President also blamed the Congress party for diving the country on the basis of religion. Earlier in the day, BJP Delhi Unit Chief Manoj Tiwari, while speaking exclusively with ABP News, also accepted that the hate speeches made by party leaders during election campaign costed BJP in Delhi elections.

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Tiwari s aid that he had spoken to leaders like Parvesh Verma and Anurag Thakur and requested them to refrain from using such statements in future.

BJP Delhi Unit chief also agreed to the fact that BJP could have preformed better had it stepped into election campaign with a Chief Minister face. Tiwari also agreed that BJP's Delhi election manifesto should have been announced earlier.

When asked about his party's stand of Shaheen Bagh protest after elections, Tiwari said now that Arvind Kejriwal has won elections, he must go and urge people to end their agitation. "Arvind Kejriwal should go to Shaheen Bagh. His candidate (Amanatullah Khan) won there by 71,000 votes. It should be his duty to go there and talk to protesters. Now it's their job to improve the city and solve woes," Tiwari said.

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Of the 70 assembly seats in Delhi, AAP on Tuesday won on as many as 62 seats while eight went to its nearest rival, the BJP. Congress, once again, drew a blank in this elections. According to reports, Kejriwal's swearing-in as the Delhi Chief Minister for the third time will take place on February 16 at the historic Ramlila Maidan.