New Delhi: With sluggish economy and Gujarat elections emerging as a major concern, the top three of the BJP, Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, finance minister, Mr Arun Jaitley and BJP president, Mr Amit Shah got into a huddle on Thursday.
Mr Modi, who is likely to visit poll-bound Gujarat on October 7 and 8, had strongly defended his government’s economic measures on Wednesday and also slammed those who had attacked the NDA regime over the recent economics slowdown. Senior BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha had also slammed the government for the economic slowdown. However, Mr Shah's “sudden change of plan,” left the BJP red faced in Kerala as thousands of BJP workers and leaders were lined up with placards and posters to greet him during saffron party’s ongoing ‘Janraksha Yatra’ against the ‘Red terror’ and spurt in jihadi terror. Mr Shah was to visit Kerala Chief Minister Pina-rayi Vijiyan’s hometown on Thursday and also address a gathering. The meeting at Mr Modi’s official residence, it was learnt, was also to gather feedback ahead of the GST council meeting which is scheduled on Friday, when it is expected that small and medium businessmen could be given some relief by the government, which has been facing criticism on the economic front.
Mr Shah had met traders during his recent visit to Gujarat, who had apprised him of the problems being faced by them after the implementation of the GST. Speculations are rife that government could possibly announce a package for the traders and diamond merchants.
Both the diamond and cloth merchants are up in arms against the government in Gujarat and the opposition Congress is giving the BJP a tough fight.
Though the BJP claimed that Mr Shah was scheduled to return to Delhi on Wednesday night and then fly back to Kerala to continue to conclude his three-day long ‘padayatra’, Mr Shah could not go back as the meeting with the PM got delayed. Mr Shah, however, will be in Kerala on October 17, when the 15-day long ‘Janraksha Yatra’ will conclude.
