Patna: After a successful strike on black money through demonetisation, BJP, under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has already started campaign to weed out black money from politics and bring major electoral reforms, party chief Amit Shah said on Tuesday.
"After attack on black money through demonetisation, some thinkers and experts asked Modiji what about bringing an electoral reform, set high standard of probity in political life and weeding out black money from politics," he said.
"I wish to inform you that BJP under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started steps for all the three," he added.
Shah was addressing a function after the release of a book on Deen Dayal Upadhyay, founder of Jan Sangh, the ideological forerunner of the BJP.
Praising the decision to ban Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes as fight against black money, the BJP president said that the 50-day exercise would pave way for genuine welfare of 80 crore poor of the country.
"By stopping theft of cash, volume of budgetary provision for welfare of poor would be enhanced," he said, adding the beneficiary programmes after demonetisation would provide a platform to empower the poor.
Shah said the BJP has already set up a team to suggest widespread electoral reforms as how to achieve less expensive elections and make political donation transparent.
For setting up high standard of "suchita" (probity) in politics, he said though its there in the party, still the party is formulating programmes which would pitchfork it miles ahead of others.
Shah was on a day-long visit of Bihar today. He went to Takht Harmandir Sahib to pay obeisance in view of the 350 Prakash Parva of 10th Guru Gobind Singh.
Praising Jan Sangh founder Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Shah said it's due to this that "Jan Sangh which was started by 10 persons has today transformed into a party (BJP) with 11 crore members, the largest in the world".
He said the fundamental difference between the views of Congress and his party was that while the former from the beginning after Independence has been working for "nav nirman" (new foundation) of the country on the basis of ideas influenced by West, the latter always stressed on "punah nirman" (re-foundation) on the basis of the high ideals already existing.
Shah also cited some examples to highlight how BJP was a party with a difference.
"BJP is the only party which launches andolan (agitation) not keeping in mind some personality but on issues concerning poor and masses," he said and referred to the Ayodhya agitation and recent campaign to surrender gas subsidy so that poor could get LPG connections.
"BJP is the only party where election takes place on time within the organisation," he added.
Praising the Modi government, Shah said the government has set a target to provide bank accounts to 60 crore people who are still deprived of it, even after 70 years of Independence.
"So far 27 crore bank accounts under Jan Dhan yojna have already been opened," he said.
On appeal of the PM, over 1.37 crore people have already given up subsidy on LPG to help poor get LPG connections, Shah said.
Earlier, the BJP chief talked to state party leaders at the party office. New Bihar BJP President Nityanand Rai, Sushil Kumar Modi, and Union Ministers Radha Mohan Singh and Ravishankar Prasad were present there.
