Have the best leadership, will win 2019 with huge margin : Amit Shah
NEW DELHI : “We have the best leadership in the world. We will win the upcoming Assembly elections and also the 2019 Lok Sabha elections comprehensively,” BJP president Amit Shah said as he opened two-day national executive meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.
The meeting of the ruling party’s key decision-making body is being held at a time when the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is facing a tough time handling the Opposition’s attacks and unrest by both upper castes and SC/ST groups.
BJP president Amit Shah kick-started the two-day party national executive here on Saturday with an aggressive pep talk, while lauding Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his handling of the arrests of civil rights activists, termed “Urban Naxals” by the party.
Unveiling the slogan ‘Ajeya BJP’ (victorious BJP), Mr. Shah urged party men to work for victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, where he will be leading the party, as organisational polls have been suspended till the general election is over.
Mr. Shah urged partymen to work for a bigger victory than 2014, saying that while the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was working towards “making India,” the Opposition was busy supporting “breaking India” forces. Five activists had been arrested by the Maharashtra police alleging involvement in instigating violence during the Bhima-Koregaon commemoration event earlier this year.
Briefing the media after Mr. Shah’s speech at the closed-door meeting, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “Prime Minister Modi and the BJP have been hard at work with ‘making India,’ but the Congress was busy with ‘breaking India’,” quoting Mr. Shah. “He also commended Mr. Fadnavis, who was present at the meeting, for standing steadfast on this issue,” she added.
Mr. Shah said the party was committed to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam.“The party is also committed to preventing further illegal intrusions into the country and the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (which envisages citizenship rights for Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains etc. fleeing religious persecution from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh),” she said.
A resolution condoling the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also passed with an acknowledgement of his contributions in various fields.
Mr. Shah accused the Opposition of spreading a misinformation campaign against the BJP on its policies regarding Dalits and backward classes. The Modi government not only commenced the building of the panch teerth or locations important to Constitution framer B.R. Ambedkar’s life, but also brought in the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the OBC Act that accorded constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes, he said.
Ms. Sitharaman said Mr. Shah responded to former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s critical remarks about the government made at a book release on Friday, by saying that “Dr. Manmohan Singh is a Prime Minister who follows his party, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads his party.”
The meeting, which is being held just months ahead of Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, may also see the BJP respond to concerns over the spiraling petrol, diesel prices. The party is also likely to highlight the previous UPA government’s “mismanagement of the economy” during the two-day meeting.
BJP president Amit Shah will deliver the inaugural address in the presence of the party’s top leaders, including Prime Minister Modi. PM Modi is scheduled to give the valedictory speech on Sunday (September 9). Senior party leaders LK Advani, Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley and others would also be attending the meeting.
(With inputs from agencies)
