Politics of family-run parties no longer work in India: Shah

Hitting out at Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav amid the ongoing electioneering for Bihar Assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that BJP had proved that the politics of family-run parties would no longer work in India.

Addressing the BJP workers after laying the foundation for the new State party headquarters at Churchgate in south Mumbai, Shah said, “We have proved that the politics of family-run parties will no longer work in this country. It is the politics of performance that will lead the nation forward”.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the best example of this. A person born in a humble tea seller’s home rose, through his dedication, sacrifice, and hard work, to become the Prime Minister,” Shah said.

Taking a swipe at both the Congress and the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD, Shah said, “I believe that a party that cannot uphold democracy within its own functioning can never protect the democracy of the nation. This is a strong message to all dynastic parties.”

Focusing on the BJP, Shah said, “Our party runs not on the basis of nepotism, but on the basis of democratic values. Whoever works hard, advances on the principles of the party, whoever has the strength to perform within, only that person can become a big leader in this party”.

“The BJP runs on democratic principles and hard-working and performance-oriented workers can rise in the party hierarchy. I was a booth president in 1981 and rose to become national president while Modi, hailing from a poor family, led the country three times because of his commitment and sacrifice,” the union home minister said.

Shah said that if the BJP had emerged as the strongest party in the country, it was because of hard work put in, sacrifices made and commitment shown by its leaders and workers at the grassroots level.