An exuberant Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who completed 75 days in office on Saturday, hit back at his detractors, both local and global, by justifying the tough decisions taken by his government in the interest of the people.
Speaking at the BJP National Council meeting, the first mega party conclave after the general elections, Modi said he is in full command and the government is on the right track. He said he is ready to push India’s interests on key matters at global platforms such as the WTO despite strong global pressure.
“The government could not have sacrificed the interest of the poor and farmers for good international publicity,” he added.
Modi lambasted the previous Congress-led UPA dispensation for seeking votes in the name of food security but not protecting the interest of farmers at the WTO. He said the UPA had agreed to sign a deal that would have taken away the right of the country to fix minimum support price for crops and eventually denied food to the poor.
The National Council was convened at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to ratify the appointment of Modi’s confidant Amit Shah as party president. Shah replaced Rajnath Singh, who resigned from the post after joining the Modi cabinet. The party bars leaders from holding two posts.
Senior leaders L K Advani, M M Joshi, Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states were among the more than 2,000 delegates who attended the meeting.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi came under attack for hinting at BJP’s hand in the communal riots in Uttar Pradesh. In an oblique reference, Modi said, “Even after suffering such a disgraceful defeat (in the Lok Sabha election), they (Congress) are still not ready to give up vote-bank politics.”
The prime minister also ridiculed the Congress for asking the NDA government to list its achievements after such a brief run. He said parties which did not “deliver in 60 years want to know our achievements of 60 days”.
Modi asserted that the global perception of India had undergone a change after the massive mandate the BJP got in the election. He said he could overcome the troubles he faced during his metamorphosis from chief minister of Gujarat to prime minister of the country due to the efficient work of Amit Shah.
He said he has watched Shah’s growth and was confident that the new party chief would deliver on the responsibility handed to him.
Had Shah not been given the charge during the election, the country would not have realised his organisational strength, he added. Comparing BJP’s electoral win to a cricket match, Modi declared Shah the “Man of the match” of a team captained by Rajnath Singh.
The prime minister said he was aware of the pressure that the electoral win has put on the government. “People have given their verdict. It is our turn now. We will live up to their aspirations,” he assured.
Earlier, making his maiden speech after becoming the BJP chief, Amit Shah cautioned leaders and workers against complacency. He called upon them to root out the Congress from the states not ruled by the saffron party.
