BJP chief Nadda coins ‘HIRA’ to highlight govt’s focus on highways, internet, railways, airways

BJP president J P Nadda on Friday gave a new term ‘HIRA' to the development lexicon, highlighting that the central government's focus has been on highways, internet, railways and airways.

He also said when the entire world is reeling under a financial crisis, India has become the world's fifth-largest economy, surpassing Britain.

“Today, I say that development means HIRA -- H for Highway, I for Internet, R for Railways and A for Airways,” Nadda said addressing a public meeting here.

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“Today, when I was coming (from Kashi), I saw Ghazipur has changed a lot. Earlier, it took hours to reach Ghazipur from Kashi. Today, it took just one-and-a-half-hour," he added.

It is noteworthy that in the meeting of the National Executive of the BJP held in Delhi on January 17, it was unanimously approved to extend the tenure of J P Nadda till June 2024.

Addressing reporters on the last day of the BJP's two-day executive meeting at the convention center of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) in the capital, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced the extension of Nadda's tenure. After this, Nadda, for the first time, visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi and its adjacent Ghazipur.

Afzal Ansari of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won the Ghazipur seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by defeating Manoj Sinha of the BJP. Afzal Ansari is the elder brother of former MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who is lodged in Bahubali Banda Jail in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing the public meeting in Ghazipur, Nadda attacked the Ansari brothers and said "the people of UP have taken development forward by rejecting the mafia rule”.

“Earlier there was the terror of gunda raj and mafia raj in Uttar Pradesh. Kidnapping, hooliganism, illegal occupation of government and poor people’s land was common, but with the advent of the double-engine BJP government, the criminals lost their courage. The mafia rule has ended in the Yogi government and the rule of law has been established.”

Targeting Afzal Ansari, the BJP president said that "the MP of Ghazipur has nothing to do with the development of the area. He has only one job -- to get Bhaiya (Mukhtar Ansari) out of jail.”

“These people have looted this area with both hands, suppressed the poor. They were symbols of mafia rule and peace has come in Uttar Pradesh after their imprisonment.”

Nadda said, "In a democracy, proper use of one's votes is very important. If the button is pressed at the wrong place, mafia rule comes, but if the button is pressed at the right place, the goonda rule ends, medical colleges come up, defense corridors and highways are built.”

“The four-lane Varanasi-Ghazipur highway and other development works are being carried out because you pressed the right button for the Centre as well as Uttar Pradesh and set up a double-engine government in UP as well,” he said.

Taking a jibe at the Samajwadi Party chief, the BJP president said, "When I was the health minister at the Centre, I had come to Uttar Pradesh for a vaccination programme. At that time Akhilesh Yadav was the Chief Minister. Neither Yadav, nor the SP government had any knowledge about that programme. Now tell, such a big state and the chief minister do not know...(about the sheme).”

Nadda on the occasion also said India’s economy has remained unaffected despite the financial crisis across the world.

He said India's growth in electronics has been six times higher and the export is Rs 70,000 crore.

Referring to the Centre's direct benefit transfer (DBT) initiative, Nadda said, "There was a time when the country's prime minister used to say that he sends Rs 1 and only 15 paise reaches (the beneficiary). Where does 85 (paise) go? But, today, through direct benefit transfer, Rs 6,000 is transferred into the accounts of lakhs of farmers." He was apparently referring to former PM Rajiv Gandhi's remarks in 1985.

The BJP national president said under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh is moving forward by leaps and bounds.

"During the government of Akhilesh (Yadav), when we used to send money, it used to go somewhere else as there was a hole in the bowl (of the state government). No work was done on the ground using that money," he alleged.

Nadda also said during the Covid-19 pandemic, India sent vaccines to more than 100 countries.

India is no longer a “taker” (lene walaa) but a “giver” (dene walaa), he added.

The BJP chief asserted that the image of the villages is changing. "Under the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana, free foodgrains are being given to the poor, oppressed, deprived (sections of the society) and Dalits".