BJP committed to taking tough steps to rid India of graft, nepotism: PM on party foundation day

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the BJP was committed to taking tough steps to rid India of corruption, nepotism and law and order challenges as he slammed people with a “baadshahi” mindset for insulting the poor and backwards since the party stormed to power in 2014.

Addressing the BJP’s 44th Foundation Day celebrations, Modi cautioned against complacency among the party’s workers as he noted that it is being already said that no one can defeat it in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“Despite being the world’s biggest political party, we don’t have to be complacent. People have already started saying that no one can defeat the BJP in 2024. This is true but as BJP workers we have to win the heart of every citizen of the country,” he said.

Modi slammed the Congress and other political parties which, he claimed, carried the culture of the main opposition party and accused them of being tied to nepotism, dynasty, casteism and regionalism.

The BJP represents a new culture of taking everyone along, he asserted.

Without referring to various allegations levelled by these parties against his government, the prime minister said they have been battling an existential crisis and resorting to levelling allegations and conspiracies against the ruling party. They are full of hate and frustration, he added.

“Today, they have become so desperate that they have openly started saying ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’ (your grave will be dug),” he said, asserting the support of the poor, tribals, backwards, Dalits and women among others will continue to protect ‘lotus’ and help it bloom.

Lotus is the BJP’s election symbol.

These people with a “baadshahi” (feudal) mindset treated others, especially the poor and deprived as slaves. But these people have been empowered by the BJP since 2014, he said.

“We should not be confined to winning polls. Our goal is to win over the hearts of crores of people. We have to fight every poll with the same hard work that we have put in since the time of Jana Sangh,” he said.

He drew parallels between Lord Hanuman, whose birth anniversary is being observed by the devouts on Thursday, to assert that the party believed in the ideals of selfless service.

India was realising its potential and strength after 2014 just like Lord Hanuman did after eliminating self-doubt, PM Modi said. “If we see the whole life of Lord Hanuman, he had a ‘can-do’ attitude that helped him achieve big successes.” As Lord Hanuman took on demons fiercely, the government will also act stringently in ridding the country of ills like corruption, nepotism and law and order challenges, the prime minister added.

Opposition parties have accused the government of using probe agencies against their leaders on corruption charges as part of a political vendetta.

Modi cited the free ration scheme, health insurance and other welfare measures to assert that social justice was an article of faith for the BJP while other parties used to advance the interest of particular families without helping society.

While the BJP thought and dreamt big and then set out to dedicate itself to achieving these goals, opposition parties could though small, set small goals and patted each other on achieving even smaller targets.

“The BJP believes in dreaming big and achieving even bigger goals,” Modi said.

The Opposition parties never imagined that Article 370 would be history one day and they cannot digest the work BJP was doing in ushering peace and development, he said.

The prime minister stressed on using technology and training BJP workers in using social media in a better way and asked them to work in accordance with the party’s ideology and within the confines of India’s Constitution.

He said, “The BJP has taken birth from the womb of democracy, and has been nourished and nurtured with the nectar of democracy.”