BJP president Amit Shah said that the NDA Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started three major initiatives for a strong and healthy nation by hitting at black money, bringing poll reforms and ensuring purity in the political system.
Addressing a function to mark the release of the complete volume of Deen dayal Upadhyaya’s works here on Tuesday, Shah said a big fight has begun against black money with introduction of demonetisation. “There is a lot of misunderstanding and confusion that the demonetisation step is aimed to help big houses. The fact is that this decision will benefit 80 crore people of the country,” he claimed.
The poll reforms and Suchita (purity) in the political system, BJP chief said, would usher India into a new era of honest and corruption free society. He also mentioned certain steps taken by PM Modi which he said had not been imagined by previous Government in 70 years. He said 27 crore people against 60 crore have been linked with bank account and Rs14,900 crore pilfered through lPG subsidy were saved by introducing transfer of subsidy to bank accounts. About 1.37 crore people surrendered their lPG subsidy and five crore poor families would be given gas connection of which 1.30 crore families already provided free connection under Ujjawal scheme, he added.
Saying that BJP was the biggest party with 11 crore membership, he claimed that his party was among the 1650 political parties in India wherein organisational elections are held regularly and it has a strong internal democracy. "A person like me who had been putting up posters and banners of the party became its national president only shows the strength of internal democracy and clarity in BJP," said Shah while giving credit to the founders of the Jana Sangh and its later version BJP.
Shah, for a change, did not attack any political party or leader and asked 11 crore BJP members to take pledge, big or small of their own choice, for the national building. He mentioned Congress but only in context of the formation of Jana Sangh by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee which he said was formed as an alternative to the most popular party of that time and its highly acclaimed leader Jawaharlal Nehru. "The basic difference between Congress and Jana Sangh was that Nehru wanted to build a new India while Sangh wanted the revival of country's old traditions and culture," said Shah.
Paying tributes to Upadhyaya, BJP president said that PM Modi decided to celebrate his birthday centenary celebrations as Garib Kalyan year. Others who spoke on the occasion included Mahesh Chandra Sharma who compiled the commemorative volume and Ram Bahadur Rai, chairman of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Kala Kendra. No leader of the Bihar BJP was given space on the dais and they, including some Union Ministers of State and MPs, were seated among the audience. Shah did not even mention them in his speech.