NEW DELHI: In the season of pressure building up on the Modi government to deliver rather quickly on the anti-terror front, a sitting BJP lawmaker representing a key parliamentary segment in Delhi – Maheish Giri has said that there are “huge expectations” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the people also believe him to be a ‘good performer’.
“Jo kaam karta hae, unn sey hi apeksha hoti hae (You raise your expectations when someone is there to deliver from the other side of the table),” East Delhi MP Mr Giri said in an interview.
“Certainly, people have immense faith in the Modi government….without such faith, they will not be raising their expectations. It is true now that we have the Modi government around, there are huge expectations,” he said.
“But it is natural, while expectations are rising and it is happening also because it is a performing government. People also believe that the Modi government is one which can deliver a big way in anti-terror front. This is a vital point to understand in the context of post-Pulwama attack,” he underlined.
Answering questions, he said eradicating ‘dalals – brokers’ from the corridors of power and to bring a stop to ‘Ji Huzuri – lobbying’ cultures in the Ministries by contractors and business houses should be considered major achievements of the Modi government during last five years.
“These could look small, but they are bring changes. Introduction of Adhaar and Direct to Bank benefits have erased the role of brokers who defrauded lakhs of genuinely poor and needy. In the ministries, now there is transparency. E-tendering has become order of the day and power brokers have no place,” Mr Giri said.
“So the change has come in a big way….Earlier there used to be corruption for coal block allocation and spectrum allocation etc, but today, the exchequer money is saved and additional savings being made,” he said.
Similarly, he said on the terrorism front, in case of attacks from Pakistan, unlike past, “this regime is not bowing down or making appeals at international fora only”.
“Well, the government has to pursue with its diplomacy and the efforts are on to isolate Pakistan….but there are also actions on the ground. Terrorists are given befitting response and more often eliminated,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that in 2009, Mr Giri, an active volunteer in the Art of Living, had launched the ‘Mantranaad movement’ aimed at creating a “Corruption free, Terrorism free India”.
In 2010, as an Art of Living leader he was also co-founder of the India Against Corruption movement but had to quit it over differences with Arvind Kejriwal.
In reference to Pulwama terror attack, he said firstly it should be seen as a ‘stray’ happening and coming in perhaps as a result of “frustration” among the outfits in the wake of pro-active measures being taken by the Modi government to fight the terror menace.
“Even after the attack, look at the response. I have never seen a Prime Minister, like Modiji who has announced from the stage that the perpetrators of the dastardly act have ‘committed a huge mistake’ and that they will have to pay a big price,” Mr Giri said.
To another question, he said ‘efforts to bring in transparency’ in election expenditures by the BJP also calls for a celebration.
“In my own elections, the upper limit was Rs 70 lakh and we could successfully do it keeping the range within Rs 50-55 lakh,” he said adding “it also depends on how you want to really fight elections”.
Asked while he had quit India Against Corruption citing ‘autocratic style’ of functioning, in the BJP too often there is lot of talk about centralisation of power, Mr Giri said – “One big difference is Prime Minister Modi has both Niti (policy) and Niyat (principle)”.
“These virtues were totally missing in Arvind Kejriwal”.
“Kejriwal’s major drawback was double speak. He actually thrives on that policy. Bolta kucch hae, Karta kuch hae,” Mr Giri said, adding that “Kejriwal also believes in the politics of misleading people”.
There is another big difference with regard most BJP leaders and workers – if not all – “I think it is their upbringing. In BJP, right from the beginning, there are stress on two aspects of nationalist feelings and patriotism; these are kept from very beginning”.
Against this backdrop, Mr Giri said corruption is also linked to these aspects. “Once you love yourself, think of your family and relatives; there is bound to be involvement in corruption. But once, you are convinced, the country is your and it is your family, even the basic temptation will go away”.
(agencies)
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