Bharatiya Janata Party
National Executive Meeting
Panaji (Goa)
8-9 June, 2013
Presidential Address
By
Shri Rajnath Singh
Friends, we met in the
first week of March, at the last executive committee meeting in Delhi.
Since then many new develpments have taken place. Some of them were
truly sad and unfortunate. The barbaric naxal attack on the Congress Yatra in Chattisgarh shocked the entire nation. After that tragic incident the BJP called off its ‘Jail Bharo Agitation’
in a show of solidarity. At this meeting, I offer my condolences on
behalf of the BJP to all political activists, leaders, security
personnel and civilians killed in that attack.
In the meanwhile few encouraging
developments have also taken place. We registered an emphatic victory in
the Lok Sabha and assembly by-polls held recently in Gujarat. The BJP
wrested all the seats from the Congress party.Our margin of victory also
increased. Therefore, I would like to congratulate Gujarat Chief
Minister Shri Narendra Bhai Modi and the State BJP President extend my
gratitude to all the BJP workers and the people of Gujarat who made
those victories possible.
Friends, we are today assembled in Goa.
And while being here,I can’t but help remember the great poet Krishnadas
Sama. The 16th century poet Sama not only translated the epics likeMahabharata and Ramayana into Konkani and Marathi, but also rendered the Krishna story in a contemporary milieu to inspire us to confront adversity.
Goa is also witness to the time when
Westren world (Europe) was eagerly looking for the viable routeto reach
by the sea to India. One should keep in mind that be it Spain’s
Christopher Columbus or Portugal’s Vasco da Gama, both sought to reach
India by travelling in opposite directions. Eventually it was Vasco da
Gama who became the first European to chart the best sea route possible
to India. Even though Goa remained under Portuguese rule for 450 years
and despite being under foreign domination for many years our prosperity
was so enticing to the rest of the world that everyone wanted to come
over to this land.
I firmly believe that during this
National Executive meeting in Goa, we shall commit ourselves to take to
newser heights of prosperity under the BJP’s leadership. So much so,
that anyone in the world should dream ofcoming to India.
Swami Vivekananda
The country is celebrating the 150th
birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. He was the first ever Indian who
became the global symbol of India’s emerging youth power. A question
may arise that how inspiring a19th century youth icon like Vivekanand
would be for youth this 21st century of rapid globalisation? Swami
Vivekananda was not only a great thinker, but also a great visionary.
Today, as the youth of India is looking forward to reach higher in
life he should also pay special attention to both India and his own
future. And in that respect, Swamiji’s words assume all the more
relevance.
After returning from his historic visit
to the US, at his first public meeting in Rameshwaram on January 25,
1897, he said: "She is awakening, this motherland of ours, from her deep
long sleep."
Elaborating upon the collective
consciousness of India as a nation Swamiji said, “This nation still
lives; the raison d'etre is, it still holds to God, to the
treasure-house of religion and spirituality'.”
And in the same speech he exhorted the
youth of India:“... assimilate what you can learn from every nation,
take what is of use to you. But stand on your own feet; hold on to your
own spirituality; to your own religion; to your own values.”
Today, due to the gross neglect of those
core values, our country is on the decline and corruption is visible in
every sphere of liferight from politics to the world of sports. We
should strive to spread the message given by Swami Vivekananda by
reaching out to the people.I would like to suggest the chief
ministers of BJP ruled states that life and works of Swami Vivekananda
should be included in school curriculum of their states.
Erosion of Institutions Under Congress Rule
The month of June reminds of yet another
unfortunate incident in India’s political history which was the
imposition of Emergecy in the country in 1975. It was classic example of
how the decline in values and the increase in lust for power can
inflict a great damage on the country. But June also reminds us the fact
as to how a new revolution was begun under Jayprakash Narain’s
leadership in 1974. The BJP too played a active role in that revolution
through the erstwhile Janasangh. Therefore the month of June is quite
significant in India’s political history.
Today the Congress party has once again
devalued many institutions in this country. We, therefore, need a new
political revolution to avert the imminent multiple crises facing India.
Friends, last month the Congress led UPA
government completed four years of its second term. And blowing their
own trumpet, they released a report card of their “achievements.” But
any report card invites critical feedback too to establish the the
veracity of its claims. I would like to highlight only four points from
the UPA’s four years in power.
- CAG’s observations on the 2G scam;
- Supreme Courts observations on the CBI investigations into the Coalgate scam.
- International credit ratings agencies on the state of the Indian economy;
- And the economic growth rate dipping to its lowest level in a decade which is less than 5 %.
These are not mere arguments, but hard facts... This is not logic, but pure Mathematics.
And it surprises me that despite the truth coming out, the UPA is resorting to cover up this reality through gimmicks.
A striking example of UPA’s efforts at
misleading people by making tall promises is their unfulfilled claim to
control inflation within 100 days...
I would now like to cite another example from the World Bank’s Global Tracking Framework Report
that reveals that India leads the globe in the per capita
unavailability of power. The report says that over 300 million in India
don’t have access to basic needs like electricity.
The Congress party scarred our
Parliamentary democracy by indulging itself in Cash for Vote scam in a
desperate bid to get the Indo-US nuclear deal ratified with the support
of Samajwadi Party and others in 2008? At that time, the government had
claimed that the deal will soon put an end to the ongoing power crisis
in the country.
Next month, it will be five years since
the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal. I would like to ask the people
of the country have they got any relief from power outages?
Mind you, five years is a long time.Yet
even then 300 million of our citizens are forced to live in darknessOnce
again, Congress’ claim has turned out to be hollow.
The Congress, Samajwadi party and all
the others who voted in favour of the deal,should now, in all humility,
apologise to the nation.
Making fasle promises is not something
exclusive to this UPA Government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh but it has
been the DNA of all Congress governments in the past as well. Way back
in the 1970s Indiraji had given a populist slogan: “Garibi hatao!”
(End poverty!). Do we have any less number of poor people in India
after nearly four decades? Today, in 2013, in all its eagerness to get
the Food Security Bill cleared the Congress that is saying that
two-thirds of India are so poor that they need subsidised food. This
implies that even after 40 years two-thirds of our population remain so
desperately poor that it is unable to feed itself.
The Congress party only likes to fool
people by making hollow promises. During the Congress’ long rule, the
idea of India, Indians and Indianness has been badly hit.
But I would like to assure the people of
our great nation, if we are given a chance to rule for at least ten
years, we will make so much difference that the need for any populist
measure like Bharat Nirmaan or Food Security Bill will be
reduced to a naught. We will work to restore the image and prestige of
our nation globally. You already had a glimpse of that during the NDA
regime led by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Long History of Congress Corruption
The Congress has a long history of
giving patronage to corruption. And I am not talking of much vaunted
episodes of corruption during the time of late Narsimha Rao or late
Rajiv Gandhi governments. I would rather like to remind the people of
this country that after attaining Independence in 1950 India was rated
tenth in the list of the most transparent countries. Pandit Nehru used
to often mention about it in his speeches. But it was during the same
Pandit Nehru’s rule; the jeep scam involving Krishna Menon came to the
limelight. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report tabled in
Parliament castigated Menon but he was made the Defence Minister by
Pandit Nehru. After that in 1957 the Mundhra scam happened and the then
finance minister TT Krishnamachari was first forced to resign but only
to bemade a minister again.
A series of scams that happened during
all these Congress regimes have culminated in India being rated today as
one of the most corrupt countries in the world by a Transparency
International report. As per the Transparency International list, India
is ranked today with countries like Nigeria. Even Pakistan fared better
than India on this list.
The Congress has continued its patronage
to corruption since India’s independence and it continues to haunt us
even today. Now the situation has simply gone out of control.Today what
is at stake is not just related to corruption at the centre, but the
credibility of our system is also at stake. Therefore, to reinstate
public confidence in the system, only a change of government will not be
sufficient, but drastic change is required in the entire system. We in
the BJP, with our vision, capability and experience, are committed to
that goal. And if we get voted to power, we will prove it!
Economy In Shambles
Having completed nine years under the
leadership of an ‘ Economist Prime Minister,’ the Indian economy has so
far only been able to achieve two things: 1. Ruining of the splendid
growth of the economy unleashed by the NDA regime; and 2. Increase in
income disparity within the country.
Two data points are good enough to prove
my charges against the UPA government.In 2004 when we went out of
power, the GDP growth rate was 8.4% and inflation rate was at 3.77%.
According to the recently released
statistics by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), our growth
rate has nowplummeted to even lower than 5%, while rate of inflation
continues to remain higher around 7 percent.
The CSO has also indicated that in
2012-13, the growth rate of our all important agriculture and
manufacturing sector is periliously low at 1.9% and 1%, respectively.
Today, we also know that India’s fiscal
deficit is 4.8% while the Current Account Deficit (CAD) is also hovering
dangerously at 6.7 percent. Yet the UPA regime chooses to blame “the
international economic environment” for this miserable state of our
economy. There are certain economies in the world which have been
labelled fragile. But, here I would like to recall the time when Atalji
despite economic sanctions, Kargil war, and the 2001 slowdown managed
to maintain an impressive growth trajectory and transformed the Indian
economy as something which could be called ‘Anti Fragile!’By
‘Anti Fragile’ I mean an economy which does not crumble under pressure
but takes maximum advantage of the adversities present in the system.
The UPA’s economic mismanagement and
corruption have pushed the country to the brink. My charges against the
government are not based on some flimsy grounds but I have hard facts to
back the argument. The UPA government’s biggest mistake was that it
dileberately slowed down various big ticket infrastructure projects
kick-started by the NDA government. And that had adversely impacted the
economic growth and job creation in the country.
Under the UPA, infrastructure projects
worth billions of rupees have simply got stuck due to its inability to
give clearance. Although, there has been a gradual decline in the order
book of infrastructure companies in the recent past but despite that, it
collectively stood more 100 billion USD. But this year the state of the
infrastructure sector is so pathetic that the total order book of
companies in the sector has been reduced to nearly 50 billion USD
It is pertinent to ask how does these
numbers affect the common man?So I will simply throw some light on how
these numbers make an impact on job sector. According to a McKinsey
& Co. report published earlier in January 2013 and used by the Wall Street Journal,
if a mere 1% of the GDP is invested in infrastructure, nearly 3.4
million direct and indirect job opportunities are created in the
economy. But we in India only invest 4.7% of our GDP in infrastructure,
while in our immediate neighbourhood, China proactively spends 8.5% on
infrastructure.
It is, therefore, evident that by
slowing down infrastructure projects, the UPA government has not only
weakened the economy but also deprived millions of our youth of gainful
employment!
According to NSSO from 1999 to
2004, over 60.7 million job opportunities were created in the economy,
while from 2004 to 2009, merely 2.7 million were added!
On the other hand, most of the BJP and
NDA ruled states have successfully maintained a steady and higher growth
rate and created numerous job opportunities. Meanwhile, disbursal of
agricultural loans at 0% interest has helped in setting new records in
food production and provided food security to over 90% of the populace
in these BJP/NDA ruled states.I think that these figures make it amply
clear who is actually contributing to India’s growth.
If the BJP-led government is voted to
power, then we will once again invest in big infrastructure projects
like the Vajpayee government and provide the economy a much needed
boost and also create the right environment for job creation.
Income Disparity
The misguided economic policies of the
UPA government have turned our economy sluggish. Economic disparity has
reached to a level where the share of 5% of our populace in the national
expenditure has increased to 21.3%. Therefore, it’s only the economic
level of 20% people that has changed, while 80% people not only continue
to live in deprivation, but even among them there is a large section
whose standard of living has simply declined!
The rise in number of billionaires can be a cause celebre
only when the number of the marginalised, those languishing below the
poverty line, also delines significantly. Yet the irony is that despite
having reduced the level of poverty to Rs32 and Rs26 daily, over 30
percent of our citizens continue to live below the poverty line. And
this disparity in income is a big challenge before our Nation.
As the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
has rightly pointed out in a reportthat increasing economic disparity
is dangerous as it could lead to civil unrest in the country.
The present dispensation could make
hollow claims of development through clever statistics but the situation
on the ground is gloomy as there is no glimmer of hope for the common
man.
Prosperity and happiness are not mere
words for the BJP but a combination of factors which includes regular
jobs for millions of unemployed youth, regular income, self-respect and a
deep sense of satisfaction in the people of the country. I am firmly of
the opinion that it is only possible through proper job creation, and
not just by providing doles a few days in a year.
The Congress does not have an economic
philosophy of its own. It started out by aping the socialist ways of the
erstwhile USSR during the Nehru regime. Then Narsimha Rao or Manmohan
Singh governments found inspiration in the American capitalist model
which stoked unbridled consumerism in the country.
Communism ended with disintegration of
Soviet Union towards the last decade of the 20th century. In China, the
Communist government gave Communism a quiet burial. Modern China has
nothing to do with the ideas of Communism as it has welcomed capitalism
and MNCs with open arms. The US today has become unstable due to slower
growth it leaves little scope for unabashed capitalism to lead the
global growth engine in the 21st century.
I firmly believe that Communism as an
ideology is almost dead, capitalism is also choking. In both these
economic arrangements the problem is the inability to give society the
freedom from hardship and give the people of all sections their
respective due. India needs an alternate model unlike the Communist or
Capitalist model. The Indian model of growth should be inspired by
Mahatma Gandhi's ideas of Swadeshi and Sarvodaya. Even in
modern India these ideas have significance. The co-operative movement
started from Anand in Gujarat has helped India attain new heights in
milk production. If we create similar farmer cooperative committees at
the block leveland encourage them to operate on commercial level it will
certainly help in liberating the people of India from hunger. It will
also help usin becoming the food capital of the world. Any model for
progress is meaningless unless it provides avenuves to people to come
out of poverty and deprivation.
Our Nationcan only progress when
people arehappy. The model for development should be holistic in
approach. Any social and political problem in this country willthen be
easily resolved.Therefore, if our government is voted to power, our
motto will be:
Khushali main haq ho sabka, pichda rahe na koi tabka!(Let everyone be a part of progress, with none being left behind!)
Naxal Issue
The misguided policies of the government
on issues like terrorism and naxalism have assumed such proportions
where terrorism has grown manifold due to itsappeasement policy and lack
of poilitical will and Naxalism has risen due to the failure of the
government on several fronts.
Unless there is an integrated approach
there will be no permanent soultion to boththe problems. If even after
ruling for 56 years out of the 66 years since Independence,theresource
rich areas of the country are under the influence of Naxalism, the
policies of the Congress are directly responsible for it. The biggest
problem is that the Congress and Left parties have made huge mistakes by
protecting people who believe in an extremist ideology and violent
activities.
We have to understand the difference
between naxalism and the extremist Maoists. While Naxalism started in
1967 as a movement by peasants against land owners,it was soon turned by
some Leftist intellectuals into a violent Maoist movement where power
could only be attained through the barrel of a gun. While doing that
they paintedsuch a romantic image of Naxalism,where it was made to look
like autopian ideologywhichcould provide a simple solution for all
problems facing the poor.
TodayNaxalism has spread to 16 states
and 200 districts of India. Nearly 40% of India is under its influence.
According to a credible estimate that the naxalites today nearly 18
thousand recurits and possess more than 20 thousand weapons. They are
connected with many dreaded terrorsit organizations. To sympathize with
these Naxals is against the national interest.
The congress has done great harm
to the democracy and the interest of poor tribals by extending
ideological cover to Naxalism. It is appalling that some staunch
supporters of naxalism are members in prestigious committees of the
Planning Commission and National Advisory Council. Using these
forums they have made the government a medium to sow seeds of discord
and discontentment against the State in the minds of the poor.
The BJP believes in safeguarding the
rights of the farmers, labourers and tribals to ensure equitable and
harmonious progress.This goal can not be achieved through pursuing any
Leftist philosophy but only through the principles propounded by
visionaries like Swami Sahajanand Saraswati and the late Datopant
Thengadi.
Food Security
These days theCongress is making
baseless allegations that the law providing food security for two third
of the population has been blocked by us. Firstly, the Congress has to
admit its mistake that even after 50 years of one party rule, two thirds
of India is still deprived of food security. Whereas the BJP ruled
states have been able to provide food security.The BJP ruled Chattisgarh
was the first state to enshrine food security into law, and provided
not just two thirds but 90% of its populacewith foodgrains at a price
lower than what has been proposed by the Centre. Simultaneously Madhya
Pradesh,Gujarat and other BJP ruled states have done a commendable job
in providing food security to the poor sections of the society.
The BJP is very serious on the issue of food security. During Atalji's time we had initiated this by launching a food security programme through ‘Antyodaya Food Grain Scheme’.
In the proposed draftFood Security Bill
by the UPA Government we see a lot of objectionable things. Like no
importance has been given to the food producing famers in the bill.
There is no guarantee of giving the farmer a minimum support price for
his yield. In absence of this safety mechanism the famer will be forced
to sell his produce in distress. How can food security be ensured
without factoring innatural calamities such drought or guaranteeing a
minimum support pricefor yield?The issue of Food Security Bill will be
taken up separately.
Misuse of constitutional Institutions
The Supreme Court had ordered the CBI to
submit its status report directly to the court which was investigating
into the Coal scam worth Rs1.86 lakh crore. But the UPA government
armtwsited the CBI not only to share its report with the PMO officials
and the then law minister but also changed its content.
It is now evident that changes weremade
in the status report and the SC directives were ignored which was a
contempt of court. If the government believed in upholding the dignity
of the judiciary, it would have atleast shared the original report with
it by now.
The UPA government in its tenure has
misused every constitutional institutions and post without any
hesitation.Be it an investigative agency such as the CBI or a
constitutional post such as that of a governor, the Congress has openly
politicized these institutions and ignored the opposition.
The UPA Government has shown little
regard towards the wise consul provided by the opposition. Recentlly
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Smt. Sushma Swaraj and Leader of
Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri Arun Jaitley wrote a note of dissent over
the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman’s appointment but
the simply ignored it.
Even earlier the opposition has shown
its disapproval towards the appointment of the CVC and governors, but
the UPA just turned a deaf ear to it. In Indian democracy the the
Congress party has always functioned in an arbitrary manner. The UPA
neither has the political experience to take the opposition into
confidence nor the ability to avoid confrontation.
Telangana
The situation in the Telengana region of
Andhra Pradesh is quite grim. For a very long time Telangana has not
got its due. During my last tenure as the president of BJP in 2006 I had
announced that we would carve out a separate state of Telengana. I
would like to reiterate our party’s commitment that if we come to power
in the next Lok Sabha elections, we will ensure the creation of
Telangana. We created the states of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and
Chattisgarh in the year 2000 and this time the BJP will make Telengana a
reality.
North East
These days the North Eastern States seem
to have become a playground for the extremist forces. Illegal
immigration from Bangladeshhas become a big threat.An effective policy
needs to be formulated to resolve impending problems in the region. The
BJP believes that by tapping the unique human resources and available
natural resources a new direction could be given to development in the
region.
Neighbourhood and Our Foreign Policy
Ever since the UPA government has come
to power, India’s foreign policy has become disoriented and ineffective.
The UPA government’s foreign policyis so weak that it is not only large
countries like China, but even smaller countries like Maldives giving
India a hard time.
China
The way Chinese troops intruded deep
inside the Daulat Beg Oldie sector in the Ladakh region of Jammu &
Kashmir in April and stayed there illegally is a sure sign that the UPA
has failed in pursuing India’s diplomacy and defence.
The case of illegal occupation of Indian
territory by Chinese forces was presented as some routine incident by
the UPA Government. But when the Chinese soldiers withdrew,they
immediately claimed a huge diplomatic victory. There are media reports
that the UPA Government has made some secret deal with China. If these
reports are incorrect then why the bunkers build for the safety of our
soldiers near the LAC close to Chumar Valley in Jammu &Kashmir have
been dismantled?Why the traditional sheperds living living close to the
border of India-China are being told to avoid grazing their livestock
on their very own soil?
China presence in Pakistan Occupied
Kashmir (PoK) areas of Gilgit and Baltistan is a cause of concern for
us. If China is serious about improving bilateral ties with India it
should remove its forces from the PoK. The UPA has maintained complete
silence on this issue whereas the Indian Parliament has recently passed a
resolution claming PoK as its own territory.
India and China's defence capacities
have no match. While our defence budget is $36 billion China's defence
budget is at a staggering $112 billion. We have to be mindful of the
fact as to how belligerant China has become in cyber warfare and about
its place in space race. We cannot turn a blind eye to militarization of
the Tibetan Autonomous Region: 58,000km roads, railway connectivity up
to Lhasa, five airbases and a nuclear missile base.
The manner in which China is exerting
pressure on Vietnam in the South China Sea it clearly reveals strong arm
tacticts to tilt the balance of power not just along the borders of
India, but in the Asia-Pacific region as well.Therefore, we believe that
under UPA rule the strategic and economic rights of India are being
compromised daily.
Human Rights Violations in Tibet
In past few months hundreds of Buddhist
monks have committed self-immolation in protest against the violation of
human rights by China in Tibet. Tibet is not only a region sharing
borders with India, but also the biggest center of Buddhism. India
cannot remain insensitive to the atrocities being committed on the
Buddhist monks in Tibet as we share a long history of cultural affinity
with this region.
Pakistan
The BJP welcomes the victory of Shri
Nawaz Sharif in the recently held general elections in Pakistan.
Democracy gaining strength in Pakistan, guarantees peace in the South
Asian region.
The BJP welcomes Shri Nawaz Sharif’s
statement, but we are cautiously optimistic. I am sounding caution
because historically speaking the ties between Indian and Pakistan have
become so entangled that to untangle them requires not just words, but
also some concrete action. Pakistan's new government will have to ensure
that its peace initiatives do not fail due to the presence of extremist
elements on its own soil.
Recently the Home Minister has made a
statement that Pakistan’s intelligence agency the ISI was actively
involved in misguiding Sikh youth to take up terrorist activities. If
Pakistan wants to improve relations with India such activtities should
stopped immediately.
Pakistan’s surrender of its Gwadar Naval
base to China, setting up two new nuclear reactors with China’s help
and a rapid increase in its missile capabilites are some as some
troubling aspects. Pakistan will have to be sincere in addressing our
concerns.
The UPA government shouldnot turn a
blind eye on the inhumane attrocities being commited on the Hindu and
Sikh minorities living in Pakistan. The government should provide visas
to Sikh and Hindu refugees arriving from Pakistan, andif they want
citizenship then we should definitely think about it in a sympathetic
manner. It is so saddening that the Congress government, whichremainsso
stingy in extending visas toPakistani Sikhs and Hindus, has no problem
in turning the illegal migrants from Bangladesh into a vote bank.
Afghanistan
The NATO forces will withdraw from
Afghanistan in 2014 and the BJP remainsconcerned about its consequences.
The UPA government should actively cooperate in rebuilding Afghanistan
and also draw-up an effective security strategy post 2014.
Historically speaking, the Indian
Subcontinent has been peaceful only when Kabul and Kandhar have been
relatively peaceful. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is strategically
important to India.
Nepal
In recent years some contentious issues
have cropped up between India and Nepal. That has resulted in
differences being created between the two nations. Nepal has become
passage of infiltration for terrorist orgnisations into India. The
country has also become the transit point for sending fake Indian
currency notes, arms and drugs into India.India and Nepal should
actively try to address these issues.
Nepal is going through a Constitutional
crisis these days. The BJP desires that all political parties of Nepal
should find a solution to this crisis and form a durable government
which could contunie to maintain the cordial and amicable relations
between both the countries.
Sri Lanka
In the neighbouring Sri Lanka confusion
regarding the ‘Devolution of Powers’ provided by their
13th Constitutional Amendment still continues as the present government
of Sri Lanka has gone back on its commitementeven before moving forward.
Since there is no arrangement for a
structured dialogue between Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese speaking
people even as the harassment of the latter continues unabated, the UPA
government should put diplomatic pressure onthe Sri Lankan government to
take significant steps towards a lasting and peaceful solution to the
Tamil issue.
Myanmar
Of late, communal tensions have have
been on the rise in Myanmar. Incidents of communal violence between the
Buddist and Muslim communities have increased and it has negatively
impacted the positive environment build in the country through social
and political change.
If there is peace and stability in
Myanmar, it will augur well for the North Eastern states by opening new
avenues of development between our two countries.
On the one hand the Congress led UPA
government's lacklustre performanceinaddressing the economic to foreign
policy issues has eroded the prestige of India, and on the other hand
the BJP has set newbenchmarksin good governance and development in
states ruled by it.
Good Governance and Development in BJP Ruled States
The BJPs commitment to good governance
and progress is known all over the country. The BJP is the only
political party in this country thathas established good governance and
expedited growthwherever it has come to power. The BJPs development
agenda is not only limited to some specific section of the societybut it
also includes the marginalized people. Our state governments bear
testimony to that.
Gujarat
This National Executive meeting is well
aware of the Gujarat’s development model and its performance. The people
of Gujarat have reposed their faith in the BJP and its chief minister
Shri Narendra Modi. Gujarat`s progress is not only being discussed about
at a national level, but alsoon the international arena too.
Madhya Pradesh
I am happy that today Madhya Pradesh is
India’s“No.1 state in terms of its growth rate." Under the leadership of
chief minister Shri Shivraj Singh, the government has established new
records in the agriculture sector. And now the Madhya Pradesh government
has undertaken a programme to provide 24 hours electricity to every
village in the state under the ‘Atal Jyoti Yojana.’
Ifirmly believe that just like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh too will also become a state with 24 hours electricity supply.
Chattisgarh
For the past nine-and-a-half years the
BJP has been ruling in Chattisgarh. Under the leadership of Dr Raman
Singh, Chattisgarh has progressed and found stability. The successful
implementation of the Food Security Law in the state has led even the
Congress to come up with it’s a Food Security Bill at the national
level.
Goa
During the assembly elections held last
year in the state, the people of Goa voted the corrupt Congress regime
out of power. Within a year after to power, the BJP, under the
leadership of the Shri Manohar Parikkar, has not only provided the
much-needed relief to the people but also made Goa a unqiue state in
India where petrol is cheaper than diesel.
Chief Minister Shri Manohar Parikar’s
ability as an administrator and his impeccable honesty is known in
every nook and corner of the state.
Upcoming state assembly elections
In November this year,assembly elections
will be held in several states,among which two states, Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh, have the BJP governments, while the Congress is in
power in Rajasthan and Delhi. I am confident that in all the four states
the BJP Pradesh units are proactively working with victory in mind.
Wherever our governments are in power,
we should highlight our achievements to the people. And where we are in
the opposition, we will have to awaken the belief in the hearts of the
people that the BJP can perform many times better than the Congress.
The BJP has people’s good wishes to
peform a hattrick bothin Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh,while in
Rajasthan and Delhi we have to move forward with the determination of
victory in our hearts.
Recently I got the opportunity to attend
many programmes both in Delhi and Rajasthan. In both places the people
want to get rid of the Congress regime.
In Rajasthan, political scenario is
getting clearer with every passing day as the ‘Suraj Sankalp Yatra’
under the leadership of Shrimati Vasundhara Raje Scindia has
successfully caught the popular imagination.
We are equally hopeful about Delhi too.
Delhi might not have got full statehood, but the state assembly
elections have a great significanceat the national level. And that is
why it is soimportant for us to win in the Delhi state assembly
elections. We have been out of power in Delhi for 14 years. I am
confident that the combined efforts of all our workers shall bring us
back to power.
Booth Management and Booth Committees
In this election year we not only have
to prepare for assembly elections in four states, but also for the next
Lok Sabha elections. Keeping in mind the election management every state
should complete the constitution of booth committees at the earliest.
If booth committees are firmly in place in all the states then the BJP`s
victory in the election is assured.
- To set up Booth committees all over
the country, a Central Booth Management Committee shall be set up to
oversee the data management and operation of all booth committees;
- Together with modern technology, traditional methods should also be used for booth management;
- I believe that as soon as this
national executive is over all office beares will constantly review the
progress of this important assignment.
- Efforts should be madeto ensure that booth committee workers are in regular touch with the state and central leaders.
100 Years of Indian Cinema
If we are in Goa the mention of Indian
cinema is inevitable in this centenary year. Every year Goa hosts the
International Film Festival. It was the NDA government that took the
decision to make Goa as the permanent venue for the India International
Film Festival. In 1913, Dada Sahab Phalke made the first Indian feature
film Raja Harishchandra. On this occasion we all express our deepest gratitude to Dada Saheb Phalke.
Cinema has a deepimpact on the Indian
society, especially on its youth. The Indian filmmakers and artistes
have contributed immensely to the world of national as well as
international entertainment. In this 100th year of Indian cinema I would
also like to request the celebrities related to the film industry that
keeping in mind the effect they have on societythey should contribute to
uphold the values in society.
Youth
India has the largest youth population
in the world and they want to see their country at the top in the 21st
century. Today this aspiration of our youth is bestenshrined in two
words: globalization and the social media. Social media is in itself one
of the biggest driving forces of globalization. In today’s world,its
importance has surpassed social and national boundaries. The National
Executive meeting will deliberate upon how social media can be
effectively harnessed to connect with the youth.
Women
Indian women today women are making an
all out effort towards attaining new heights as well as to assert their
rightful place in the society. The BJP has always played an effective
role in women empowerment. We are the only political party in India to
give one-third reservation to the women in our organization.
In the last few months, many incidents
of atrocities against women have come to light. Those problems can just
not be addressed by merely changing the law, but by also working to
change the mindset of the people and the social arrangement. The BJP
will include this in its political campaign.
60 Years of Dr Mukherjee’sSacrifice
Another point that I would like to
highlight is the sacrifice that our founder Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee
made for the unity and integrity of India. Coming June 23 will mark 60
years of his sacrifice. On this occasion, we pledge to stand by the
ideology of Dr Mukherjee which was dedicated to maintain India’s
national integrity.
BJP’S ‘Aahwahan’
From our perspective as a political
party,of late, there has not been much of good news for us. We did not
succeed as much as we had hopedin the Karnataka assembly elections. We
will introspect and march ahead in the preprations for coming elections.
Our friends in the Congress are claiming
that our defeat in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka has
paved their way to victory in the Lok Sabha.
I accept our defeat in those three
states in all humility. But in the same context, I would like to remind
all our workers of a famous incident from world history.
During the World War II, Germany easily
defeated Poland, Austria and then on June 10, 1940, France too
surrendered. Filled with a newfoundconfidence, the German war machinery
mounted a campaign to defeat Britain. On June 18, 1940, Winston
Churchill gave his historic speech where he called upon his people not
to lose their confidence despite the adverse circumstances and to show
the world that theywould be the final and ultimate victors of the war so
that even if the British commonwealth survived for a thousand years, it
would be said “Thiswas their finest hour.” The outcome of the war is
known to the world.
I would like to assure the BJP wokers
today that though we might have lost in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
and Karnataka due to the certain circumstances, but we are committed to
emerge as the final and ultimate victors. The BJP has to win this war in
such a way so that when India`s history is written Winston Churchill`s
quote stands true for us as well: "This was their finest hour”
In the end, I would like to exhort the BJP cadres to strive for decisive victory in the next elections.
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