Then on Friday morning, Sushil Kumar Modi, the BJP stalwart who happened to be deputy chief minister under Nitish Kumar when the party was in alliance with the Janata Dal (United), echoed him, tweeting: "If BJP wins in Bihar there will be Diwali in India & if UPA wins there will be celebration in Pak."
It was not entirely clear what point Modi was trying to score here since nobody is contesting under a "UPA" or United Progressive Alliance banner in this election. The alliance between Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress is called the Mahagathbandhan. At best, Modi might have been attempting to refer to a time when Yadav was a member of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance at the centre.
Both remarks follow BJP advertisements in Bihari newspapers that accuse Nitish Kumar of being soft on terrorists, which is ostensibly the reason people in Pakistan will celebrate his victory. It is a tenuous connection and one that has been roundly mocked and scorned on social media.
It is early hours yet and Modi has not yet been at the receiving end of this. Amit Shah, however, has. Here is a taste of what has been said so far:
Amit Shah's biggest contribution to Indian politics & nation-building is introducing us to the term; #Jumla. Now he is outdoing himself.
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) October 29, 2015
Some pointed out more obvious links:
@IndianExpress @BJP4India @AmitShah he's really rattled it seems. I thought when Modi ji won at the centre the Pakistani PM came personally — Ahijit (@ahijit) October 30, 2015
In conclusive sense, Amit shah means all non-BJP political parties are pro- Pakistani parties
— Sofi Qayoom (@qayoom_sofi) October 30, 2015
Others tried to expand the picture to India's foreign policy.
Nepal Will Celebrate In Big Way After BJP Loses Bihar.. @narendramodi & Doval Have Messed Up With Nepal So Much @AmitShah! #ShahInsultsBihar — iAmMusa (@onlyursmusa) October 30, 2015
Yet there was the usual whataboutery on display...
@GVLNRAO cant u quote abusive tweets by tht Anand guy abt PM @narendramodi ?cant u do ur homework? Dumb spokies r liability! @AmitShah
— Arvinth (@arvinth_e) October 30, 2015
And, of course, there were those who pointed to the fact that one need not look to Pakistan, when 69% of Indian population voted against the BJP, even in the Lok Sabha election that the party won in a record electoral triumph.
@SushilModi @Karachi_Post The opposite will happen. BJP win will further push India into communal chaos & divisions.Pak will celebrate
— ashok kumar (@akbundi) October 30, 2015
If the BJP loses Bihar, 69% of the Indian population will burst crackers & distribute sweets. Take that, Amit Shah! #BiharElections2015
— Imran khan (@imkhan5csn) October 30, 2015
But perhaps most worrying for the BJP is that even those who ordinarily endorse their policies seemed dismayed.
BJP pays the price for its Anti-intellectualism every time it gets power, but never learns.
— Saswati Sarkar (@sarkar_swati) October 30, 2015