Union Minister for Defence Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that after long years of tolerating an indecisive regime led by the Congress at the Centre, India had finally got a Government led by the BJP which could act from a position of strength and take strong decisions as could be seen in the case of suspending Secretary-level talks with Pakistan for acting provocatively from across the border.
The Narendra Modi Government had “surprised everyone by starting a new tradition of inviting representatives of the neighbouring countries” during the swearing-in he said. Similarly, “it took us no time in taking a strong decision by clearly telling Pakistan that either they talk to the separatists or they talk to the Government of India as both was not possible at the same time,” he added.
Jaitley was addressing a convention of intellectuals organised by the BJP in Kolkata. Earlier on the same day the Defence Minister told at the inaugural function of the Jangipur campus of the Management Development Institute how “there had been series of provocations by Pakistani Army in the last few days” adding India was “responding adequately” and “fully protecting both our territory and people.” He was referring to the repeated violation of ceasefire by the Pakistani forces during the past fortnight.
At the gathering of the intellectuals Jaitley said a time had come when the BJP had to prepare itself for taking charge of Bengal which had dropped to a state of economic hopelessness thanks to mal-governance of the left and the Mamata Banerjee Governments.
like in the general elections where results showed that the people supported us in bigger numbers than we expected Bengal was also about to present a similar picture in days to come, he said asking the partymen prepare themselves for that time by presenting before the people a political alternative that was different from the left and the Trinamool.
“There will surely be a tri-cornered contest in which we will have to present us before the voters as the political alternative that is different from the earlier parties that ruled the State both in political style and approach,” he said adding the people of the State wanted to liberate themselves from a situation where “Bengal is counted among the three most indebted states of the country” notwithstanding the fact that it was intellectually the more powerful and politically more conscious state.
“We have the opportunity and we have to grab it and surge ahead. Once we come to power we will be able to prove that BJP can give the kind governance the people want.”
Among those who spoke during the occasion were party MPs MJ Akbar, Babul Supriyo, State BJP president Rahul Sinha and party’s central observer for Bengal Siddharthnath Singh.At another function Jaitley who is also the Finance Minister called upon the corporate sector to grab the opportunities that was coming India’s way.
Insisting that quality governance was the key to reach greater heights he told a gathering at the 13th ICSI National Award giving ceremony that “governance is one area where we have to learn a lot from international best practices be it political or corporate governance.If India could do well with mediocre level governance with high quality governance this country perhaps would have reached greater heights.”
Saying that “Indian economy was in a coming of age” he added “once we are at the take-off stage of the economy once again the opportunities for Indian corporate sector to be immense.”