The BJP on Tuesday declared an all-out war on the Congress as the NDA Government celebrated one year in office. led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leaders and Cabinet Ministers spread across the country to counter Opposition’s charges of being a pro-corporate and anti-farmer party and talked about the good work done by the Government in the past one year.
The Government has launched a month-long programme focused on the welfare policies. From Srinagar to Thiruvanthapuram, Kolkata to Bengaluru, Delhi to Patna, party leaders aggressively showcased their work to people and underline the difference in governance from previous regime of the UPA. BJP president Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Pasad were some of the prominent leaders who took the floor. They listed out Jan Dhan Yojna, insurance and old age pension schemes, Make in India, laws against black money, economic growth and success in foreign relations as some of the major achievements of the Government.
In a bid to woo farmers, Modi launched Doordarshan’s 24-hour channel dedicated to the agrarian community on Tuesday. The PM said there was a time when agriculture was the most preferred profession, but over a period of time its attractiveness declined. He added that with the right incentives and actions, this trend could be reversed. The PM called for making the “Tehsil” the unit of agricultural planning and development.
In a letter to the people on the first anniversary of his Government, Modi said his Government systematically went about addressing challenges and brought down prices and took steps to revive the economy. “Discretionary allotment of our precious natural resources to a chosen few was replaced with transparent auctions. Firm steps were taken against black money, from setting up an SIT and passing a stringent black money law, to generating international consensus against the same. Uncompromising adherence to the principle of purity, in action as well as intent, ensured a corruption-free Government.
Significant changes have been brought about in work culture, nurturing a combination of empathy as well as professionalism, systems as well as breaking of silos. State Governments have been made equal partners in the quest for national development, building the spirit of Team India. Most importantly, we have been able to restore trust in the Government,” he said.
To share Modi Government’s successes in one year, the BJP would organise 4,413 public meetings till June 1. The BJP workers have been asked to reach out to at least eight crore houses over next three months. Amit Shah launched a booklet listing the government’s achievements. In a bid to reach out to maximum number of people, the booklet has been brought out in 12 languages. Shah lauded the NDA Government saying it ended corruption, trust deficit and restored the dignity of Prime Minister’s office. He cautioned people against falling for “illusions” spread by some against the Modi government and said it has not done a single such task that will make Indians bow their heads.
“We had pledged to eliminate corruption and we have provided a corruption-free regime. Our opponents are not able to make any allegation on corruption. This is a big achievement of this Government,” he said. He dared Congress leaders to present their “zero-loss theory” on allocation of coal and spectrum auctions again before the public, alleging that “UPA has mastered the art of presenting a lie as truth”.
Jaitley said Modi has not only restored the credibility of the PMO but also convinced everyone that his authority is supreme in decision- making. “After Modi came to power, the image of the country has improved, India’s respect among other countries has increased and people are convinced that the country’s development is on fast track,” Jaitley said.
In Patna, Gadkari defended the land Acquisition Bill asserting that not “an inch of land” will be acquired for industrial and corporate houses. He tried to explain that the clause of 80 per cent consent of people while acquiring land has been removed only for projects related to rural infrastructure like dams, irrigation projects, industrial corridor, defence installations and affordable housing.
In Kolkata, Rajnath Singh said the Government was always in “action mode”. “Even international rating agencies like Moody’s have given a positive sign to our Government. We came out of policy paralysis and now decisions are taken fast. In next three to four years, the GDP growth rate will be in double digits,” he said. Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju (in Kohima), Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah (in Srinagar), Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan (in Bhubaneswar), labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya ( in Hyderabad) also did their bid to showcase the achievements of the Modi Government.