This was Arun Jaitley's first speech after being declared Leader of the Rajya Sabha
In Parliament today, the BJP's Arun Jaitley offered this advice to the Rajya Sabha - "Winner must never be arrogant, loser must not be bitter.''
His comment was part of his first speech after being declared the Leader of the Rajya Sabha.
The 61-year-old Finance Minister also reminded law-makers from his party, "The burden on our government is going to be much higher because people expect us to perform.''
"There are many cases where people have not governed to the best of their abilities. But you either perform or you perish,'' he said, adding, "If our PM sees corruption anywhere, he has to step in and stop it. He has to be tough, at times even ruthless in dealing with such situations."
In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and its allies pulled off a seismic victory, bagging 336 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. The BJP on its own won 282 seats, becoming the first party in three decades to land a parliamentary majority.
The Congress, on the other hand, was reduced to its worst-ever tally - it won 44 seats. Caste-based parties such as Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP), Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) fared worse. The BSP drew a blank, while the SP and the RJD somehow managed to open their account.
"If we seriously analyse these results, we will realise that there are many significant aspects of the verdict........ What people want is governance, not social combinations as substitutes. Those who thought political leadership does not rely on merit, and only family, lost,'' Mr Jaitley said in a jibe at the Congress and its leaders, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
He, at the same time, sought to reassure the BJP's allies their partnership is valued. "After 30 years, we have a single party majority. We had thought we are in an era of alliances. We still believe that. Alliances represent the strength of India,'' he added.