Ahead of Modi Government’s first anniversary, the BJP on Saturday asserted it had restored the credibility of the PMO “lost during the UPA tenure” and politically positioned itself as the “Central pole of Indian politics” with the Congress wiped out in eight big States and the BJP extending its reach to hitherto uncharted territories.
The BJP also exuded confidence of coming to power in Bihar by trumping over the proposed “impractical coalition” of the “desperate” erstwhile Janata Parivar constituents and being the main opponent to Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress, with which there was “no question of an alliance”.
Sketching the “achievements” of the Modi Government since May 26, last year, when it had settled at the Centre ending the decade-old Congress rule, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said a visible political achievement has been its success in restoring the credibility, dignity and stature of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as the last word now rests with the Prime Minister. “It should be,” he stressed.
“UPA’s attempt to reduce the stature of Prime Minister's position by setting up power centre outside the Government, we always felt, cannot continue in a democracy and we have reversed that,” Jaitley said.
He said the Modi Government has ended corruption and decisions were not being taken for one particular individual or an industry. “There is no lobbying in North Block and South Block,” Jaitley asserted.
Politically, he maintained, the stupendous win for the party at the Centre and poll successes in five States in one year have also simultaneously witnessed “uniform defeats” for the Congress in eight States, at once establishing BJP as “the Central pole of Indian politics”.
Jaitley said the one year has been “historical for the BJP” that saw, for the first time, a full majority for the party in the lok Sabha and it forming Government either on its own (in Haryana and Jharkhand) or with allies (in Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh). In two States - Odisha and Telangana - he said, non-Congress Opposition scored poll victories.
These developments have brought the BJP into the "centre-stage" with Indian politics clearly divided into pro-and anti-BJP flanks, he said. In another way, he pointed out, the BJP also emerged as the largest party (in the world) with a record membership.
Speaking about Bihar polls, scheduled later this year, the Finance Minister said his party would try its best to win the State polls and form the Government there. He further added that restless and desperate rivals were forming "impractical coalition to stop us".
Attacking the alliance between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and lalu Prasad-led RJD, the Finance Minister said those who had gone to jail and those who had sent them to jail have joined hands to defeat BJP, a reference to lalu's conviction in the fodder scam which was pursued vigorously in courts by Nitish.
Asked if there was any possibility of its former ally JD(U) joining hands with BJP again, he said, "I don't know but it does not seem so in Bihar."
On party's strategy in West Bengal, which is due for polls next year, Jaitley said the BJP and the TMC are politically opposed to each other and his party was the main political opponent in the State.
When asked if the BJP would have some understanding with the TMC, he said -Taal-mel ka saval nahin- there was no question of that. He said the BJP Government at the Centre would perform its constitutional duties and the TMC Government would be treated like any other State Government. Quizzed whether BJP has asked for the TMC support on the land Acquisition Bill, the BJP leader said he had "not asked it at all".
Jaitley maintained that BJP's strength was growing in West Bengal as was visible in lok Sabha and by-elections victory. He, however, conceded that the recent municipal poll results were a setback for the party in the State.
Quizzed on party's poll planning in Tamil Nadu, he said the BJP was not part of either the DMK or the AIADMK alliance and though the party agrees on many issues with the regional parties there are differences too. "We have our own strategy," he said, while referring to elections in Tamil Nadu.
As about BJP's debut in governance in Jammu & Kashmir, he said the alliance with the PDP having ideological differences with his party was "inflicted by the poll verdict itself" with BJP winning a majority of seats in Jammu region and PDP doing the same in the Kashmir Valley. He said it was a "turning point" for the State as the governance was based on a common minimum programme and was "against separatists". Jaitley said it is a "new experiment for country's well-being".