Taking stock of the political situation in the country, the BJP recently held its national executive from September 21 to 23, 2007 at Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Complex, BJP office, Bhopal. Team BJP discussed a number of issues ranging from national to organisational issues with a collective leadership under BJP chief Shri Rajnath Singh. The BJP has a strong and vibrant organisation right up to the grassroots level in Madhya Pradesh, which had a historic role in the political journey from the Bharatiya Jana Sangh to Bharatiya Janata Party and had been karmasthali of ideologues like Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and Kushabhau Thakre. The BJP, since Lucknow executive meeting, has been conducting its national executive on a low profile leaving aside the five-star culture and has focussed on ideological issues and has stressed on the issues relating to the common man and of course on issues to protect our national sovereignty. The conclave has exposed the failures of the UPA government, as it discussed internal security, Sachar Committee'srecommendations, agrarian crisis, wheat import scam, sufferings of the middle class, nuclear deal, Indo-US relations, Ram Sethu and forthcoming challenges before the party. The BJP had its last executive meeting in Bhopal 11 years ago, on June 21-23, 1996, and it was historical as Atal Behari Vajpayee had come after submitting his resignation as Prime Minister for thirteen days. In the 1998 Parliament election, the BJP emerged as the largest party and formed the government taking along 24 political parties, crafting the history of coalition politics. ?Even today the situation is same??maintains the BJP and has started chalking out strategies as to how to change the situation. The BJP chief reposed his faith in the executive members and is confident that like the last national executive of Bhopal, the party will once again create a new history.
The party among the major initiatives has passed resolutions on terrorism, Ram Sethu and kisan-garib-majdoor ke saath vishwasghat. Former BJP President and senior BJP leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi moved the resolution on Ram Sethu. A historic decision the party took in the Bhopal conclave was that it endorsed 33 per cent reservation for women at all levels within the organisation and this step assumes significance in view of the passage of women'sreservation bill being delayed in the Parliament. This is first time that any political party thought to increase the role of women on organisational level, said Smt Sushma Swaraj who was instrumental in giving green signal to the issue in the national executive.
For last one month, the media itself had created confusion on the leadership issue and had framed unfounded reports, the BJP chief Rajnath Singh said. The BJP chief Shri Rajnath Singh while addressing the mediapersons in Bhopal, clarified that there is absolutely no confusion over the leadership issue in the BJP. He said that there is no confusion over issues like leadership and Prime Ministerial candidate and there is no dearth of leaders.
Shri Vajpayee had sent his blessings to the Bhopal conclave and said that the ruling UPA has ditched the sentiments of the common man and at the moment the role of the BJP has increased manifold. The country expects the BJP to perform. ?We have to stand united and we cannot relieve this responsibility?, he mentioned in his message. He suggested the BJP to take collective decisions for the future challenges before the party as elections to the Parliament is imminent. He assured the conclave to return soon to join amongst the party workers. Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha Shri L.K. Advani addressed the executive on the last day elaborating on the current political situation in the country and the forthcoming challenges before the party. Rajasthan Chief Minister Smt Vasundhara Raje, Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj. Gen. (retd.) B.C. Khanduri, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sushil Modi and all the office-bearers of the central and state BJP were also present at the conclave.
Meanwhile, a massive rally was organised at Lal Parade Ground on September 22. Seeing is believing. One cannot have seen such a massive rally in the political history of Madhya Pradesh with a huge attendance from every nook and corner of the state. Situations are rife now that the nation may face a mid-term poll, and the massive rally was an indication. One can affirm and see the ire of the aam aadmi against the UPA regime. While inquiring, the local police officials put the estimated crowd figure at over 1.5 lakh. Their estimates were based on huge number of vehicles alone as SUVs mostly had at least 8-10 persons. The vehicles from different districts created a big problem for the traffic as almost all parking slots were full. Going by the traffic police estimates, over 5,000 vehicles, 850 buses and 4000 SUVs, jeeps and minibuses came to the city for the huge rally at Bhopal. Shri L.K. Advani, BJP chief Shri Rajnath Singh, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Madhya Pradesh BJP chief Shri Narendra Singh Tomar addressed the rally in the presence of BJP Chief Ministers and senior leaders of the party. The Madhya Pradesh government announced in the rally to provide reservations to the upper caste poor. Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan while addressing the public meeting said that a commission in this regard would soon be formed. After implementing the reservation for upper caste poor, Madhya Pradesh would be the first state of the country to enforce this kind of reservation policy. This announcement of Shivraj Singh Chouhan puts him ahead of UP Chief Minister Mayawati, who made a proposal for reservation of poor higher castes in her state. While addressing the rally, besides other national issues, Opposition Leader Shri L.K. Advani showered kudos on BJP chief Shri Rajnath Singh for putting the Team BJP in right gear to face the forthcoming challenges before the party. Similarly BJP chief Shri Rajnath Singh praised Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan for putting the state on the path of progress for all sections of the society and for his special plans for the farmers and the labourers. Shri Rajnath Singh candidly admitted that he was more impressed with the present Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister on the development agenda, in compare to his own tenure as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
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