New Delhi: Accused of sidelining veterans, Narendra Modi on Sunday reached out to the elders in BJP, hailing the "sacrifice" of "four generations" of partymen and leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani.
Addressing workers from over six lakh polling booths across the country through video-conferencing on the occasion of BJP's 34th foundation day, the party's prime ministerial candidate equated the duo with security forces manning the posts on border and securing the country’s boundaries.
Modi also made a brief reference to the "frightening excesses" during Emergency.
The Gujarat chief minister, who is under frequent attack from opposition parties for "taking over" BJP and "sidelining" the seniors while projecting his own personality alone, showered encomiums on workers and leaders who contributed to the making of the present BJP.
"We have reached this place where we stand today riding the shoulders of those four generations....Wherever we find us today is the result of the sacrifice and hard work of lakhs of workers of the four generations....There are many political parties but only we can claim of being an organisation based party.
"We are in existence due to our workers. It's not a simple event that four generations work in making a party and it continues to function. I salute those lakhs of workers, all the four generations, which sacrificed them for building the BJP," Modi said.
He added "We have been guided through the leadership of Atal ji and Advani ji. People like Kushabhau Thakre (former BJP President) and Sunder Singh Bhandari sacrificed their life." Modi said he remembers all of them and they inspire him.
He also quoted a line from Vajpayee "Suraj niklega, Andhera chatega aur Kamal khilega (The Sun will rise, the darekness will go away and the lotus will bloom)" on this occasion.
