Peace restored in J&K with abrogation of 370: Shah
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 3: While Prime Minister, Narendra Modi emphasised on qualities such as restraint, balanced outlook and coordination among BJP members and asked them to learn from mistakes of the parties which ruled India for long but are now on “terminal decline”, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah termed the annulling of Article 370 a great achievement of the party that led to restoration of peace in J&K.
Addressing the valedictory session of the BJP’s two day National Executive, at Hyderabad in Telangana today Modi while making a veiled attack on opposition urged party cadre to strive hard to make India “Shreshtha” (great) and asserted that its goal should be “Triptikaran” (fulfilment) from “Tushtikaran” (appeasement).
He said “This will lead to Sabka Vikas’ (development of all). No one should be left behind,”.
Shah, while addressing the session of National Executive today also moved the political resolution which was later adopted by the House.
The Prime Minister in his speech called for taking out “Sneh Yatra” which, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad in a press conference later said, will be aimed at boosting affection and coordination in society by reaching out to different sections of people.
Modi stressed on women empowerment who form the half of country’s population and said the progress of the nation is not possible to the desired level if women are left behind.
Modi called for “P2 to G2” (Pro-People to Good Governance) in the party’s political and governance model.
Lambasting the opposition, Modi said the country was fed up with dynastic politics and dynastic parties and added that it would be difficult for them to survive long.
Emphasising on the need for party workers to stay connected to people, he said they should not make fun of or jeer at the parties which are in terminal decline and instead learn from their mistakes.
Recalling that he had noted in a 2016 party meet about BJP workers having qualities of “Sevabhaav, Santulan, Sanyam, Samnway, Sakaratmak, Sadbhavana and Samvad (Service, balance, restraint, coordination, positivity, empathy and dialogue), Modi reiterated this message to BJP members in his today’s address.
The two-day Executive meeting saw the party taking stock of its organisational activities and lauding the Modi Government over its economic policies and overall governance.
Issues such as the killing of a tailor in Udaipur by Islamic fanatics and the Nupur Sharma row were not discussed in the meeting, though the obituary reference did mention tailor Kanhaiya Lal, party leaders said.
Referring to Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar, a name with roots in the city’s Hindu cultural heritage, Modi said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel laid the foundation of “Ek Bharat” (United India) by integrating the region into the Union and it is the BJP’s historical obligation to build ‘Shreshtha Bharat’.
Everything that is good in the country belongs to every Indian, he said, asserting that the BJP believes in this philosophy and that is why it celebrates leaders like Patel, who was a Congress stalwart, and paid tributes to every Prime Minister through a museum dedicated to all previous PMs.
The Prime Minister also hit back at opposition parties for questioning the BJP’s democratic credentials and asked what is the status of democracy within their organisations.
Modi asserted that his Government has worked for everyone and noted that nearly 200 crore COVID vaccines doses were given to people for free across the country.
India’s exports have surged and the country has received record FDI, he said.
Noting the efforts of BJP Governments at the Centre and in states to empower women, he said they have repeatedly expressed support for the party in elections and it should continue to work for their welfare.
In his speech, Modi also referred to the BJP-led NDA’s Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu and lauded her journey from humble background and asked party MPs and MLAs to ensure that they cast valid votes as even a small error may render them invalid.
Prasad asserted that numbers are heavily stacked in Murmu’s favour against Yashwant Sinha, the opposition candidate.
Earlier addressing the rally, Amit Shah termed the abrogation of Article 370 a fulfilment of BJP’s commitment to the people of this country and asserted that with its annulling the peace has been restored in the J&K.
He said it was with the best efforts and pro-people policies of the Narendra Modi Government that peace has also been achieved in North Eastern States.
With the BJP in power in all the Northeastern States either on its own or as part of alliances, Shah said the region will remain a stronghold of the party. All disputes in the region will be resolved by 2024, he added, a reference to boundary conflicts and militancy there.
Asserting that the next 30 to 40 years will be the era of the BJP which will make India a “Vishwa Guru” (world leader) Amit Shah said the party will end “family rule” in Telangana and West Bengal and also form Governments in States where power has so far remained out of its reach.
While proposing political resolution, the Union Home Minister called for ending the politics of dynasty, casteism and appeasement and cited the party’s win in a string of recent polls as an endorsement of its “politics of development and performance”.
He identified Southern India as the region for its next round of growth, and said the opposition had become disjointed and dispirited with members of the Congress fighting for democracy within their organisation as its ruling family clung to its position.
He also hailed as “historic” the recent Supreme Court verdict dismissing a plea challenging the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) clean chit to 64 people, including then Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, in the 2002 Gujarat riots case. The Court had also come down hard on the petitioners. The Apex Court has exposed opposition parties, a section of media and some NGOs for their conspiracy to defame Modi, he said.
The BJP leader said Modi received insults, maintained silence while facing the SIT and kept his faith in the Constitution while contrasting this with the Congress’ attempt to spread “anarchy” after its leader Rahul Gandhi was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case.
The opposition party had launched nationwide protests, blaming the ruling party’s vendetta for the probe against its top functionaries.
Briefing reporters on Shah’s speech, Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma said Modi never did the kind of “drama” that Gandhi has done while facing a lawful investigation. The Home Minister said Modi drank all the poison thrown at him like Lord Shiva and faced the probe.
Sarma parried queries on whether the killing of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal, who was hacked to death by two Islamic fanatics, or the row involving suspended BJP member Nupur Sharma over her objectionable remarks against Prophet Mohammad was part of deliberations at the National Executive meet, but added that specific incidents are generally not discussed at such a conclave where the focus is on “macro” issues.
He, though, alleged that had the Congress not started politics of appeasement, incidents like Udaipur killing might not have happened. The Home Minister in his address called for ending “dynastic politics, casteism and politics of appeasement” and termed them “greatest sins” and the reason behind the country’s sufferings over the years.
The opposition is disjointed and has been opposing everything good the government does, he said, referring to issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, construction of Ram temple, surgical strikes and abrogation of Article 370.
“The Congress has been affected by ‘Modi phobia’ and opposes every decision of the Modi Government taken in national interest,” he said.
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