“May God give him good sense,” Nadda said of Gandhi when asked about the Congress leader’s criticism of the government’s foreign policy and questions about the likely losses of fighter aircraft India might have suffered in military conflict with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
The BJP chief said, “It is difficult to understand his (Gandhi’s) aim. He attends the all-party meeting and says he stands with the country. He goes outside and raises questions that are baseless. I can only say that he is playing the role of an irresponsible opposition.” Nadda expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will complete its tenure and quipped that it will last its next full term as well. He was asked about opposition leaders making dire predictions about its stability after the BJP, the principal NDA constituent, lost majority in the 2024 polls.
“Our government is strong. It will last for five years in this term and the next too,” he said.
The government led by Modi has laid the foundation of a ‘Viksit Bharat’, and India is successfully on its way to achieving its goals with people’s participation, he said.
Dismissing Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh’s swipe at Modi for not addressing a press conference on the government’s anniversary, Nadda wondered what is wrong when the president of the main party in power has spoken to the media.
Hitting back at Ramesh, he said that the prime minister converses more with people than the Congress general secretary would have spoken to anyone in his life.
Nadda likened Gandhi, the lead opposition voice in questioning the Election Commission and fairness of Maharashtra assembly polls, and his allies to a sore loser in a cricket match who blames the umpire for the loss while claiming credit in case of a win.
“This is not done. He (Gandhi) gave different figures about the number of voters added in different press conferences. A big institution like the Election Commission is attacked in such a casual manner. The Congress party should reflect on its leadership approach.” He said the BJP is actively campaigning among people to build opinion in support of simultaneous elections.
The government has introduced a constitutional amendment bill in Parliament to synchronise Lok Sabha and assembly elections, and a parliamentary committee is currently scrutinising them.
It will need two-thirds support in both Houses of Parliament for passage, a tally the government can manage only with the support of some non-NDA parties.
Lauding Modi’s stewardship of the country, Nadda said he changed the country’s political culture and started politics of performance and good governance by providing a responsible and accountable government.
He cited the repeal of Article 370, abolition of triple talaq, amendment in Waqf law, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, demonetisation and the women’s reservation bill as among the bold decisions taken by his government.
Modi, he said, believes in confronting the challenges facing the country, be it terrorism, Naxalism or Covid. He is the first prime minister who publicly announced his government’s intent to punish terrorists and did so after terror incidents in Uri, Pulwama and Pahalgam, the BJP president said.
“Before 2014, the then government was full of corruption and there was a sense of negativity that prevailed across the country… But after 2014, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, that sentiment changed.
“Now people proudly say, ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’. People believe Modi will solve the problems,” Nadda added.
Hailing the government as “damdaar and asardaar’ (strong and impactful)”, he said it has lived up to the mantra of “reform, perform and transform” while embracing the motto of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’.
He noted how the government’s welfare measures like free housing, electricity, cooking gas connections and free grains have positively changed the lives of beneficiaries.
Indian economy, he said, continues to grow amid global challenges and international bodies like the World Bank and IMF have termed it a bright spot. That over 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty has been acknowledged globally, he said.
Opposition parties, due to political reasons, may criticise the government, accusing it of discriminating against states, but the share of states in taxes has risen massively, he Said Prime Minister Modi took the oath of office for his third straight term on June 9, 2024. PTI KR PK RT
