BJP National Council Meet
Rajnath Singh readies BJP for poll
Pramod Kumar
“EVERY countryman is aware of the mess that the Congress-led UPA government has created in every sphere of national life. The nation is anguished, in despair, demorlised and in anger from the Congress. In this situation the country wants change and is looking for an alternative. The BJP wants to assure the people, particularly the youth that it will give India her rightful place – an India of hope, a safe and secure India, where there is all round progress. The party workers should dedicate themselves towards this goal and spread out for a decisive change,” said BJP national president Shri Rajnath Singh while exhorting the party workers to come out for a conclusive fight at the inaugural ceremony of party’s National Council meeting at Talkatora Stadium of New Delhi on March 2. Prior to it, the party’s National Executive meeting was held on March 1 at the same venue.
Veteran leader Shri LK Advani, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Smt Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri Arun Jaitley, outgoing president Shri Nitin Gadkari and scores of party leaders from all over the country were present on the occasion. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was accorded special welcome at the meeting for third consecutive victory of the party in the state.
In his brainstorming speech, Shri Rajnath Singh touched many issues concerning the nation, including threats to security, issue of NCTC, external security, neighbouring countries, foreign policy, economic mismanagement, foreign direct investment in retail, corruption, farmers and the downtrodden, increasing crimes against women, youth, refugees from Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana and the issue of separate state, party governments in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Gujarat, Ram Setu, Hindutva, Hindutva and minorities, alternative economy, and why only BJP for the future of India. He also touched the organisational matters including the formation and strengthening of booth committees across the country. The mantra he gave to the workers says: “Self-restraint at individual level, coordination at organisational level, service and struggle at social level and devotion at the level of the nation.”
He warmly congratulated the people of Gujarat for giving third continuous victory to the BJP in the state. He said Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s record of good governance which has brought remarkable growth and all round development in the state was ably supported by the people with a massive mandate for the third time. The Congress Party could not give even a serious fight with its many top leaders defeated convincingly. He hoped that the party would perform equally in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh also. He also stressed the need for introspection and draw right lessons for the party’s defeat in Himachal Pradesh.
On the issue of Ram Setu he made it clear that if the party comes to power it would accept the recommendations of the Pachauri Committee. Whether an alternate route will have to be taken for Setu Samudram project or this project will have to be scrapped, we will not allow the demolition of the Setu at any cost. Because it is an issue related to the faith of crores of Hindus. We will declare the Setu a national memorial and will try to get it declared a World Heritage by the UNO.
About Hindus from Pakistan seeking asylum in India he said due to lack of any well thought refugee relief and rehabilitation policy, the refugees coming to India have to live in an atmosphere of uncertainty. There is a need of making a proper refugee policy keeping the distinction between an infiltrator and a refugee. India has been a place of refuge for the victim groups since ancient times. But infiltration cannot be promoted in this name. A clear and special refugee rehabilitation policy should be made in the context of those who are justifiably refugees and those who are coming as victims. If we get an opportunity to form the government we will make a rational refugee policy, he said. In the political resolution the party expressed deep concern over the recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh by Islamic fanatics.
On NCTC he said if the government is so serious on the issue of terrorism that it wants to make an anti-terrorism institution like NCTC at central level then why it is not keen on enacting an anti-terrorism law at the Centre. Among the countries victim of terrorism, India is the only one which has no anti-terrorism law. We have placed our views in detail on NCTC in parliament. He suggested that at least 24 assembly seats of the J&K assembly should be filled up by the nominations of the people displaced from the PoK.
In the economic resolution, the party demanded immediate roll back of all hikes in administered prices of petrol, diesel and capping of gas cylinders. It also demanded to bring down prices of all essential commodities by necessary policy revamp. The party demanded to restart assured minimum income guarantee scheme for farmers, waiver of loan for drought and unseasonal rain affected farmers, loan waiver benefits to those eligible farmers who have been left out in implementation of farm loan waiver scheme and take immediate steps to bring down fertilizer prices. The party also warned of a nationwide public agitation if these demands are not implemented.
In his speech Shri LK Advani said the popular mood in the country is anger and revulsion against the Congress-led government at the Centre. Many factors are feeding this mood, but chief amongst them is the firm belief among all sections of society that this is the most corrupt government in the history of Independent India. He advised the party to adopt a strict norm on the issue of corruption. “Let us convey a strong and credible message to the people of India that the BJP is ready to rise to the occasion by meeting their expectation for a stable, visionary and transformative alternative to the non-performing UPA,” he told party workers.
Smt Sushma Swaraj cautioned that internal bickering cost the party in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand despite ‘favourable’ atmosphere. Stressing the need to strengthening the party at booth level she said, “One booth does not have more than 1,000 voters. This means around 200 families per booth. If 10 BJP workers are deployed at every booth, each of them can take care of 20 houses. Become partner of their joy and sorrow. Become part of their life.”
Shri Arun Jaitley said the people of the country have expressed ‘no-confidence’ in the economic policies of the UPA Government and asked the BJP to educate people on failures of the Congress-led regime. He said the BJP would have to be “imaginative” in its idea to address the problems of the common man. “The young generation is in a hurry. They are angry. An aspirational class is also rising. BJP will have to address their issues in a manner that they can see a ray of hope in us,” he said. He said the NDA handed over to the UPA an economy that was growing at the rate of 8.4 per cent and it was likely that the Congress-led regime will demit office with a growth rate of less than 5 per cent.
In his speech Narendra Modi dealt in great detail about challenges the country faces. He talked about how the BJP should respond to it and asked the cadre to live up to the expectations of people crying for a ‘change’. Calling the Congress “termites” he told the party workers that their sweat was the best pesticide to kill the “termite” and they should work hard to bring the party back to power irrespective of who would be our candidates. “We do not have the right to disappoint the nation. Be ready for change. Go for the challenge (to bring BJP back to power),” he told the jam packed Talkatora Stadium.
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