Tells BJP heavyweights at JlN stadium’s weightlifting auditorium that he will not take “anti-poor” measures to win “popular applause”
Declaring that the direction of his Government was “right”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday assured that people’s interest was uppermost in the mind of the BJP dispensation at the Centre and it would not take any “anti-poor” measures just to win “popular applause” at home or abroad.
“Hum desh ki aasha-akanshaon ko bhali-bhati puri karenge,” (we would fully fulfil hopes and aspirations of the country), Modi said, adding his Government has to spend some time to do “the cleaning act” and to change “the work culture.”
The Government was moving in “a right direction” and “we will succeed in bringing about a change” in the country, he announced before a cheering crowd of BJP delegates attending the day-long National Council meeting at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Without naming the Congress party, the Prime Minister said, “Those who did nothing for 60 years now want results in 60 days”. In his concluding speech at the Council meeting, his first as Prime Minister, Modi praised party president Amit Shah whom he described as “Man of the Match” of the lok Sabha poll-2014.
Modi said under the tutelage Shah and Advani, his Government would leave no stone unturned to fulfil the aspirations of the masses. He expressed full confidence that Shah would be successful in fulfilling his responsibility towards the party and the nation.
Prime Minister said Shah’s guidance would be “helpful” in the Government. The National Council ratified the decision of BJP Parliamentary Party on July 9, this year that elected him as new president in place of Rajnath Singh who had joined Government as Union Home Minister.
Over 2,000 delegates, including Chief Ministers Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh) and Manohar Parikkar (Goa), attended the meet held at the weightlifting auditorium of JlN stadium.
Almost cautioning BJP workers, Shah asked them not to be “self-satisfied” and be hungry for “more victories” and asked them to focus on coming Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir and other States.
He said special focus should also be on electronic registration of membership where no fee would be charged to the prospective member. The party would monitor progress in the booth-level connect in all States, he said. Presenting a political resolution passed on the occasion, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched scathing attack on the UPA rule and unveiled the new Government’s future plans and policy prescription in domestic and foreign affairs arena.
Jaitley said the “tax terrorism” and “policy paralysis” were the buzzwords during the Congress regime and the Narendra Modi Government’s challenge is to change that atmosphere. “They were a liability on the economy of this country when they were in power. They want to continue to be a liability even when they are in Opposition,” Jaitley said, alleging that the opponents of the Government are making all efforts to discredit it.
The Prime Minister said the world opinion about India has undergone a drastic change after BJP’s victory with countries globally taking “our country seriously”. The biggest reason for this, he explained was a clear mandate accorded by people to his party.
Referring to his Government’s “uncompromising stand” in the WTO negotiations, he said a lot of “disinformation” was being spread on the issue. Modi said his Government would not care whether countries abroad or influential writers at home endorse Government’s stand or do not applaud it. He said the Government would always take decisions in the interest of the poor in the country.
Taking a dig at the Congress-ruled UPA, Modi said those who sought vote by promising food-security had compromised interests of poor by signing the WTO agreement.
The Prime Minister said NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee decided in favour of Nuclear Test in 1998 even though world powers were not happy with that decision. This time around, his Government’s stand on the WTO issue has made many countries “unhappy”.
“We did not worry that time and this time too…,” he said, adding the ultimate test of a decision was whether India’s poor benefit by that. Modi said the Government was working hard to succeed in bringing about “change” in the country after decades of misrule.
Focussing on BJP’s changing role, Modi said the growth of organisation should continue horizontally and vertically and stressed significance “booth-level connectivity” at every level.
In a tongue-in-cheek remark, Modi said one PM does not work in the country; it needs 100 and 200 PMs in every booth. In the midst of all-round applause, Modi clarified PM means Primary Member. He said the party could win people’s support for long only if it would assure progress and development of its party workers.
The Prime Minister asked the party organisation to focus on one specific issue every year and deal with it whole-heartedly without playing any politics around that subject. “Rashtrahit se juda hua vishay ho,” (an issue linked with national interest or well-being), he said giving an example like “energy saving” where party could go to school, colleges to create awareness on the importance of energy conservation. He said another yearlong campaign could be “no house without a toilet” or subjects like water saving or girl education.
He said the bar for the BJP has been kept very high by his political opponents, which the Prime Minister said was, in a way, good as it would make the party through “a hard test” and make it “a party with a difference”. “I have experienced it for 14 years...,” he said.
Modi said under the direction party president Amit Shah and party patriarch lK Advani, his Government would leave no stone unturned to come true to the aspirations of the masses. He expressed full confidence that Shah would be successful in fulfilling his responsibility towards party and the nation.
Praising the party president, Modi said while Rajnath Singh was the Captain of the team, the “Man of the Match” of the lok Sabha poll was Shah. If Shah had not come to the national team, the country would not have known about his strength and power, he said. Earlier Shah, in his speech credited “jodi” of Modi and Rajnath for the success in the lok Sabha elections.
Speaking about BJP winning a thumping majority, Modi said people were ready “for a change” but wanted that some one to come forward and demand it. “Janta chahti thi ki koi mangne wala toh aye, janta dene ko tayyar thi…,” he said. Modi said in 2013, he said “Hum chale ya na chale, desh chal pada hai...,” suggesting that the mood of the common masses could be very well sensed a year back.
Earlier, former BJP president said BJP was the only party left now “with a cadre and an ideology” as Congress has no cadre and ideology. He credited Modi for leading to the party for the poll victory. He said while in Opposition, role played by Arun Jaitley as leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Sushma Swaraj in Rajya Sabha also played a role in strengthening the party. He expressed satisfaction that Shah “a youth” was leading the party while it was in its peak.