The demise of the UPA rule after almost an entire decade from 2004 to 2014 was not an abrupt event. With each passing day it had become more and more clear that the UPA was on its way out. While the people of this country were seeing this very clearly the ‘rulers’, who were actually entrusted to look after the common people, remained surrounded by a sense of false belief. Three main characteristics of this Grand Failure of the UPA, which had pushed the country back by several years, were: first, indecisive leadership which instilled wide spread policy paralysis; second, rampant corruption which depicted India as a haven of scams; and third, lack of transparency, accountability and good governance, which actually ensued from of the first two circumstances. This badly affected the self confidence and morale of the hardworking citizens of our Nation.
The common people of this country started expressing their disquiet immediately and soon after a glimmer of hope arose that there was an alternate at hand. The Country did not want to make another mistake making the wrong choice. The Country did not want to suffer another Hung Parliament. Having grasped the capacity for hard work and the strength of moral force to make tough decisions they reposed their faith in the Leadership and the Party in full approbation with a historical mandate in the Lok Sabha elections in May 2014.
In the past 10 months the Nation has witnessed faster change, greater transparency with high growth in sight thanks to a Government and a Leader who they have Faith in.
Today it is the Bharatiya Janata Party and our revered Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi along with our alliance partners that is inspiring Trust in all Indians.
To bring all inclusive development and ensure participation of larger number of people in the democratic processes Sh. Narendra Modi Government has invoked the spirit of cooperative federalism, empowering the States with greater say in decision-making processes for allocation of financial resources. This has paved the way for the first time for a ‘Team India’ where States with the leadership of the Centre are working to strengthen our communities and to empower each and every citizen of our Country.
The National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party congratulates its government in the Centre for initiating new programs, strong decision making processes and actionable policies. It is making significant efforts for transparency in the allocation of natural resources and implementing effective programs for health and sanitation. Programs for welfare of industrial labor, and for employment and skill training for the youth, efforts to increase agriculture incomes and productivity, development of basic infrastructure, Adarsh Gram (Model Village), Smart Cities, Electrification, Digital Connectivity and programs to bring the North Eastern states of our country into the mainstream of development. The government has also taken effective steps to revive the sanctity of places of cultural significance, heritage and national pride.
This National Executive also congratulates Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his dynamic leadership and Party President Sh. Amit Shah for his extraordinary organizational capacity which have taken the Bharatiya Janata Party to every nook and corner of the Country across all social strata and regions through the Membership Campaign. BJP organization, its workers and the leaders have worked very hard in last few months to take the membership to the level of nine crore plus members. We have now become the World’s largest political party with the highest number of members.
Bharatiya Janata Party has won elections and formed governments after the historical win in the Lok Sabha elections in May 2014, in the States of Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana. It has also formed government in Jammu and Kashmir with its coalition partner PDP and it is now believed that this is the coming together of the Valley and the Jammu regions. The BJP has won new successes in the Panchayats and Urban local body elections across the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Assam, which is actually making it a Party with formidable presence from Panchayat to Parliament.
This process of expansion of our Party is speeding up and is today reaching far corners of the country swiftly and efficiently through the innovative use of Technology.
Bharatiya Janata Party has formed governments for the first time in the States of Haryana, Maharashtra and a full majority government Jharkhand. In Haryana, the Party won 47 seats out of 90 and its vote share increased from 9.04 percent in 2009 to 33.24 percent in 2014 and we have got the first BJP Chief Minister in that State. In Maharashtra, we won 122 seats out of 261 we contested and our vote share increased from 14.02 percent in 2009 to 27.8 percent in 2014 with our Chief Minister heading the coalition government. Similarly in the State of Jharkhand, we have formed the government with 42 seats and more than 15 percent increase in vote share from the previous election. In Jammu and Kashmir, we have formed government with a coalition partner for the first time with 14 percent increase in votes share. We have now entered the West Bengal Legislative Assembly by registering a win in the recent bye-elections and our vote share has increased manifolds in other constituencies in the State.
Our party is continuously increasing its base over all sections of the society and all regions of the country.
In the urban local bodies and Panchayat elections over different States, we have achieved new milestones. In the State of Assam, where our presence was very limited, we have 19 Municipal Councils out of total 32 and 24 out of 42 Town Committees. The number of our councilors has reached historic record of 357 out of total 746. In Punjab, we have won 365 municipal wards out of 764 we contested. Along with our coalition partner, Shiromani Akali Dal we have won 1319 municipal wards out of 2041 we contested. In Rajasthan, our base has expanded not in only in the urban areas but also in the rural areas. We have won 40 Municipal Corporations out of total 46 which went to elections in the State and we won 930 municipal wards out of total 1696 wards we contested. Similarly, we have won 21 Zila Pramukh and 24 Up-Zila Pramukh positions out of total 33 Zila Parishads. Total number of Panchayat Samiti members of the BJP has increased from 1810 in 2009-10 to 3018 in 2014. In the State of Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has won 14 out of 14 Municipal Corporation Mayors and 118 Nagar Panchayat Adhyakshs in place of 98 in 2009. We have also performed very well in the Panchayat Elections in the State.
Whatever the Party has achieved has been attained through the continuous political struggle and hardship of our workers and leaders who have kept the hopes afloat through their remarkable works and dynamic leadership in the formative years of the Party. Our leaders Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Sh. Lal Krishna Advani have continuously shown us the way in achieving the goals of larger participation of the people in the democratic processes. At this meeting of National Executive, the Party takes the opportunity to convey its gratefulness to the Government for conferring the Highest Honor of the Nation, the Bharat Ratna to Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Padma Vibhushan to Sh. Lal Krishna Advani for their contribution towards public life through their dedicated work in the service of the Party.
To fulfill the aspirations and expectations of our brethren who have been deprived of their glorious pride, they have had enjoyed in the past, the Bharatiya Janata Party has accepted the challenges which we have inherited from the previous government and we are happy that the people of our country have now trusted us fully. Our Government at the Centre and our leaders areworking ‘Round the Clock, Round the Year’ with a single aim – to fulfill the Great Expectations of our Country and to bring cheers on the face of ‘the Last Man’ – keeping alive the philosophy and spirit of Integral Humanism taught to us by Sh. Deen Dayalji Upadhyaya. It is interesting to note that this year is also the year of beginning of Birth Centenary of Sh. Deen Dayalji Upadhyaya. We are striving very hard to make his thoughts and words come true.
This National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party congratulates the NDA government at the centre for ensuring SABKA Vikas through SABKA Saath while partnering with the people, throwing wide open multiple channels for translating aspirations and hope into prosperity and progress. All the initiatives of this government are based on that idea of greater participation of people in the process of national development making ensuring economic democracy, using the framework of the Constitution.
The Bharatiya Janata Party led government in the Centre under the trusted and progressive leadership of Sri Narendra Modi is serving the Nation through the policies and values of achieving an all inclusive, equitable development. BJP has integrated dialogue, co-operation and brotherhood as its pragmatic political philosophy. If Good Governance has become an issue in the electoral politics of our country, it is due to the efforts and policies of the BJP and governments it has led in the last few decades. It has taken path-breaking and historical decisions to establish transparency and procedural easiness for responsible governance. In a short span of ten months, our Government has restored faith in the Country’s economy and credibility of our Institutions. It has taken decisive steps to strengthen the spirit of cooperative federalism.
BJP government in the centre has set an example by adopting a transparent policy in the allocation of natural resources. Recent e-auctions of coal mimes across the country have not only brought more than two lakh crore rupees to the Nations treasuries but it has also set an example of fair and transparent allocation of natural resources. It is also needed to highlight few more novel facts arising out of this process. A significant share of these natural resources goes to the States where these deposits are found, which will give more financial resources to these States and District Mineral Foundations are also being set up as part of the New MMDR Act which the BJP led government has brought. Similarly, in the auction of spectrum in the telecom sector, we have raised more money than what the CAG had earlier highlighted as the “Loss to the Exchequer” due to the UPA’s flawed and corrupt Spectrum policies. Many would remember how an arrogant UPA had declared “Zero Loss” from is mishandling of Spectrum. We have changed the mindset of “zero loss” to “infinite gain” having earned more than one lakh crore rupees from spectrum allocation.
BJP led government in the Centre has not only ensured better financial regime in the country but we have also brought in the Judicial Accountability Act. This is significant to ensure speedy and fair Justice and for better implementation and enforcement of the Law. We have also brought several other legislations to counter the corruption ridden systems we have inherited from the earlier UPA regime which did not have an accountable and transparent leadership.
Poverty reduction and employment generation cannot happen without growth. Without growth, there cannot be any long-lasting solution to the problem of poverty. Growth leads to jobs. For any government, ensuring an enabling environment for growth is the most important objective. Because of the new GDP numbers, a comparison with the old series becomes difficult. With that new series, GDP growth was 4.8% in 2012-13 and 6.9% in 2013-14. That is the base on which this new government had to operate. Growth cannot pick up overnight. It takes time, because of the legacy the UPA government left behind. Growth doesn’t’t happen in Delhi. Growth occurs in the States. Despite that growth picked up to 7.4% in 2014-15 and is expected to be perhaps 8.5% in 2015-16. This makes India one of the fastest growing economies in the world, overtaking China. Growth is not just a number. It means more jobs. The UPA government left a legacy of doles and hand-outs, redistributing poverty. This government has changed that mind-set to one of development. Our foreign exchange reserves have reached the record level of 340 billion US dollars and the Rupee has strengthened by 6.4 percent against foreign currencies.
BJP had made the promise for promoting co-operative federalism in the country in its manifesto, which it has fulfilled by dismantling the decades old Planning Commission and putting in place a new Institution in the NITI Aayog. It will promote co-operative and participatory State-Centre relations. On the basis of recommendations of the 14thFinance Commission, the Centre has increased the share of states by over 10% from 32% to 42%. This will not only give more money to the states but they will have more say in the allocations and other decision making processes. We have also started working to bring the people and regions of the North Eastern States of our Country into the mainstream with special programs and provisions for the region.
The Union Government led by the BJP has continued to provide Central assistance for important schemes. Therefore, out of the total public resources available in 2015-16, 62% will go to the States and be spent by them. It is for the States to spend those on the provision of public goods and services. Often, these public goods and services are provided by local bodies, following the lead set by the Union government, it is for the States to ensure that resources are devolved further down, to urban local bodies and panchayats. For the funds that are untied and additional, routed through centrally sponsored schemes, it would have been easy for the Union government to decide these. But in the spirit of federalism, the Union government has set up (through Niti Aayog) a sub-group of Chief Ministers to rationalize centrally sponsored schemes. It has set up similar sub-groups for skill development and the Swacha Bharat Abhiyan. These initiatives have profound implications for the way anti-poverty schemes will be delivered in the future to suit states regional and local needs. For the first time we have made a decisive shift away from centralized institutional mechanisms that were earlier devised and delivered in Delhi with a “one size fits all” mindset.
The BJP National Executive appreciates the efforts of the government for successfully providing the unbanked population with bank accounts through Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), which will help in achieving far reaching financial inclusion programme of the government. To ensure that there are financial products that cater to the needs of the poor, PMJDY has been linked to pension and insurance products. 125 million PMJDY accounts have been opened. More than 800 million people have already been issued Aadhaar cards and Aadhaar cards are being linked to bank accounts. Especially in the case of LPG subsidies, and not just pensions and scholarships, direct benefit transfers (DBTs) to bank accounts has already started.
The BJP led Central Government has also fulfilled an important poll promise by bringing legislation on black money. It was unfortunate that the UPA Government did not follow the 2011 instructions of the Honb’le Supreme Court to form a SIT on Black Money. Our Government formed that SIT as soon as it came to power. Bharatiya Janata Party also started diplomatic efforts to get back black money stashed in foreign banks. Our Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Bhai Modi took up an International Leadership initiative at the G-20 Summit by convincing world leaders to bring a Joint Declaration on black money and drug trafficking.
Bharatiya Janata Party also understands and empathizes with the fact that better social and economic conditions are necessary for the development of humankind. To boost pride and ensure self-confidence of each and every person and section of our society we are committed to inclusive development.
A large proportion of our countrymen are without social security of any kind - health, accidental or life. Worried about being completely pension-less section of our society, we have started to work towards creating a universal social security system for all Indians, specially the poor and the under-privileged. It will be achieved through Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna which will cover accidental death risk of two lakh for a premium of only one rupee per month. Similarly, Atal Pension Yojna will also be launched as a contributory scheme and depending on the contribution, the pension would be defined. The Government will also contribute fifty percent (up to one thousand rupees) of the premium for five years. Another such effort is the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti BimaYojana for natural and accidental and insurance cover upto two lakh rupees for a mere 330 rupee per year premium.
In last few days, large parts of our country have witnessed unseasonal rains which have damaged standing crops over lakhs of hectares. Similarly some parts of our country are fighting with drought. Both these situations have harmed our farmers and agriculture. BJP led central government has taken significant measures to help weather these tough times. It has also started new programs for growth and improvement of agriculture, for social security of farmers and other persons who are dependent on agriculture, for development of basic infrastructure in villages, for increasing employability in the rural areas and providing social security to landless sections in our villages. Soil Health Card is one such novel initiative which has been started with the slogan of ‘Swasth Mruda to Khet Hara’ for ensuring good health and productivity of soil.
Central Government led by the BJP has made all the provisions of the Land Act 2013 applicable to land acquisition under 13 Acts, which were earlier exempted. It will also provide government job to one member of the affected family and new and better provisions for social security. The government has simplified the acquisition process for some projects such as projects for defense, national security, rural infrastructure, electrification, affordable houses for poor, industrial corridor with specific limit keeping in mind that such corridor is in public interest. The Act also provides for setting up of Tribunals to ensure speedy disposal of all issues related to land acquisition at their doorstep.
One should keep in mind that development and infrastructure are the need of hour to all Indians including our farmers and our rural youth. However, it is unfortunate that the same Congress Party is opposing this bill which, for 121 years, did not make any good change in this law to favor the farmers and common people of this country. In 1984, they rather brought in changes to favour the private players by making provisions where the government was asked to acquire land for private entities. The Congress is shamelessly opposing this progressive law, which has better provisions of social security, only for mere political posturing and creating confusion among the people of this country. But the congress has miserably failed in their attempts as now the people of this country are not going to be fooled by this false propaganda of the Congress Party.
We are also aware of the fact that these are the times of contestations between the Politics of Obstructionism and the Politics of Development. Political parties and entities which have been thriving on divisive and dynastic politics are now issuing false slogans of alternative politics while in reality they are indulging in political posturing. They are fighting amongst themselves while being disconnected from the real struggles of the country and its people.
For ‘Amrut Mahotsav’, the 75th year of India’s Independence in year 2022, the Team India led by our Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi has a high vision and a lofty goal of all-inclusive development. It is aimed at the following: a roof for each family in India – housing for all, 24-hours electricity, clean drinking water, toilet and connectivity to a road for each household, access to means of livelihood – at least one person in the family should be unemployed /earning, medical facility in every village, a senior secondary school within 5 kms reach of every child, increase in agricultural productivity, better communication and access to Opportunities so every Indian has a better chance at improving his or her Life.
The Bharatiya Janata Party looks at both our successes and our challenges as Opportunities to do more and to do better. We are considering this year as the year for imbibing and following the philosophy of ‘Antyodaya’ to ensure harmony in our thoughts and actions serving the country. The BJP will start its ‘Mahasampark Abhiyan’ with positive methods to reach all its members. Our focus is not just on becoming the largest Party in the World but in ensuring qualitative improvement in public life and in still in right values in our workers. We will be organizing training and orientation sessions to develop and further propagate these democratic values in our workers across the country.
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