The biggest contribution of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Indian democracy was strengthening of democratic roots by eliminating dynastic politics, appeasement and corruption, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Bhubaneswar on August 8.
Throwing light on the journey of Mr. Modi in Indian politics, Mr. Shah said he was among very few who had seen the Prime Minister Modi’s evolution as a politician and statesman from very close quarters.
“After 1960s, Indian politics was affected by three cankers — dynasty, appeasement and corruption. People used to go up in the ladder of politics by treating dynasty as their capital. Modi ji came up with a new alternative — politics of performance,” he said.
Politics of performance
“The four back-to-back electoral victories [two Lok Sabha and two Vidhan Sabha] in a State like Uttar Pradesh where dynastic and caste politics were deep-rooted showed that voters would elect those who perform. The politics of performance has ended the politics of the dynasty-based parties,” said the veteran BJP leader who is hailed for turning the party’s electoral fortunes.
“The family-based parties would either have to change themselves or stay prepared to face recurring electoral rejections. People of the country are in no mood to accept these parties,” said Mr. Shah.
“Similarly, the politics of appeasement means treating a particular community as a vote bank and providing all benefits which is against basic tenet of giving equal opportunity to all. Mr. Modi has also got rid of this politics. No one can point finger at the Modi government that schemes are implemented by giving special favour to a specific community,” said the Home Minister.
“During past eight years, the Opposition has not been able to come up with a single concrete corruption allegation against our government which came to power on the back of charges of massive corruption to the tune of ₹12,00,000-crore against the Congress-led government,” he said.
Deliberating on book ‘Modi@20’, Mr. Shah said Mr. Modi provided a strong government at the Centre when people were losing hopes on multi-party parliamentary democracy.
“It was because the Prime Minister was missing in the 10 years of the Congress regime between 2004 and 2014. Every Minister in the government was considering him or her as a Prime Minister. The credibility of the country in world stage was going down and internal and external securities were in mess. People reposed faith in the leadership of Narendra Modi and first time in 30 years, a party with single majority came to power,” said the former BJP president.
Article 370
Reflecting on the decision to remove Article 370, Mr. Shah said when many threatened that ‘rivers of blood’ would flow over the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, no one had now the courage to throw even a stone.
“The whole country knew that as long as there was Article 370, the association of Jammu and Kashmir with India was not permanent and all had impression that no one would dare to revoke Article 370 and 35A. On the morning of August 5, 2019, the government under the leadership of Modi ji got rid of these articles. Today, Kashmir is on path of development and panchayat elections have been held,” the Home Minister said. The veteran BJP leader also credited the Modi government for finding a solution to the Ram Janmabhoomi controversy.
Appeal to Odisha BJP
At another function, Mr. Shah asked the BJP cadres in Odisha to strengthen the party from grassroots and at the same time expose the State government.
Mr. Shah visited the State after a gap of two years, triggering excitement among leaders and cadres.
In the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhubaneswar Member of Parliament Aparajita Sarangi, Leader of the Opposition Jai Narayan Mishra and State party president Sameer Mohanty, Mr. Shah underlined the need for working hard to strengthen the party.
Earlier, addressing the 75th Foundation Day of Odia daily Prajatantra at Cuttack, Mr. Shah said, “ Odisha ke ache din aa gaye hain (The goodtime of Odisha has arrived).”
“Droupadi Murmu ji is new President of India. Dharmendra Pradhan is Union Education Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw is Railway Minister. Governor of the Reserve Bank of India hails from Odisha. And Bishweswar Tudu holds a post in the Union Cabinet. Odisha had never got such kind of representation in the national level after Independence,” said the Union Home Minister.
“Droupadi Murmu who was born in a poor family of Odisha went on to become the President of India. The Constituent Assembly used to be represented by people from all walks of life from all States. But, it had one lacuna that it did not have a place for tribal woman. This is a moment of pride for tribal societies of the country and Odisha,” Mr. Shah pointed out.
‘Huge potential’
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and with the help of the State government, we are making efforts for the overall development of Odisha. The State has huge potential for development. It has a long coast, rich tradition of trade and commerce and highly skilled human resources and its land is endowed with rich mineral resources,” he said.
The Home Minister praised the State’s cultural heritage, the pride people take in their language, songs and dance and literature.
Ms. Sarangi, Bhubaneswar MP and BJP national spokesperson, expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of State government representatives to receive the Union Home Minister at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. “It is surprising that the State government has behaved in such a callous manner. This kind of behaviour reflects the culture of an institution. Is this right?,” she asked.
