Gear up for Assembly polls: BJP national president Nadda to party workers in Jammu

Jammu, Jul 6 (PTI) BJP national president J P Nadda on Saturday asked party workers to be ready for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision to make the country a third economic power in the world in near future.

He lashed out at the Congress and said the party which has failed to win 100 seats for the third time in general elections in a row is raising questions on the winners of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls despite the fact that it is standing only with the help of others.

Addressing hundreds of party delegates at the concluding session of two-day ‘Vistarit Karyasamiti Baithak’ here, Nadda said BJP is the only party in the country which has a vision, leadership, intention, workers and people’s trust.

“Be prepared for the (assembly) elections and ensure the win of the party,” the BJP national president, who is also Union health minister, told the gathering which was among others attended by BJP’s election incharge in J-K and Union minister G Kishan Reddy, Union minister and Udhampur Lok Sabha MP Jitendra Singh, National General Secretary, incharge J-K, Tarun Chugh and BJP J-K president Ravinder Raina.

Nadda was accorded a warm welcome by his party workers on his arrival in Jammu this afternoon and he was taken in a procession to the venue of the meeting where he paid rich tributes to BJP ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his 123rd birth anniversary.

Mookerjee was one of the founders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Mookerjee, who strongly opposed to now scrapped Article 370 providing special status to Jammu and Kashmir, died under mysterious circumstances in 1953 shortly after his arrest in Jammu and Kashmir following his agitation for “Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do pradhan aur, do nishan nahi challenge” (A single country cannot have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems).

Describing Jammu and Kashmir as “crown of India”, Nadda said before 2014, the people of Jammu and Ladakh were used to talk about “discrimination and injustice” but the Modi-led government provided justice to all sections of the society, especially those who have been left deprived by the previous regimes.

He said the BJP-led government lived true to its slogan of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas’ and “today Jammu and Kashmir along with Ladakh is marching ahead with the rest of the country without any complaint of discrimination or injustice from anywhere. This happened because of the Modi government.”

He said two crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir last year, showing the improved situation in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution.

“Unlike in the past when the Indian forces deployed on the borders had to seek permission to retaliate to the firing from across the border, the Modi government gave free hand to the forces and the people are living a peaceful life now. This is the new Bharat under the leadership of Modi,” he said, adding any terrorist who manages to sneak into this side is neutralised within one week.

He said BJP is the largest party in the world. having a mass following.

“We are the party which has a Modi like leader, vision, intention, programmes, workers and peoples trust. For us, the nation is the first unlike those parties which have all along indulged in politics of appeasement, familism and running a government with a remote control,” Nadda said.

Continuing his tirade against the main opposition Congress, he said despite the party’s failure to cross 100-seat mark in Lok Sabha elections for the third time since 2014, it is projecting itself as a winner.

“Such an ecosystem has been created where the winner is questioned instead of the loser. Congress has failed to open its account in 13 states where it was wiped out. It is a party which does not win on its own strength but on the votes of other parties,” the BJP leader said, adding it got over 50 per cent vote share where it is supported by other parties whereas it got below 28 per cent where it was fighting alone.

The election results of Congress in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are the glaring example of its performance, he said, adding “this is a party which finishes its ally which links with it.”

He referred to Congress leaders as “educated illiterates” and said they have no knowledge of the economy and unnecessarily raising questions and creating doubts in the minds of the people.

“India under the leadership of Modi went past the British which ruled India for 200 years to become fifth largest economy in the world…The day is not far when we will be third economic power in coming years under the leadership of Modi,” he said.

He said BJP is the only party in the country which is fighting the elections on its own strength and defeating its rivals.