Ignore negative' Opposition, push only vikas': Modi tells BJP workers

New Delhi: Asking the BJP cadre not to heed “negative forces” and to stay connected with the masses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told party workers Sunday to convey the message India had started witnessing the “change” and the “wheel of development” was running fast. Earlier, senior BJP leader and parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu lavishly praised Mr Modi for being “God’s gift for India” and a “messiah of the poor”, as well as “Modifier of Developing India” while moving the political resolution on the final day of the party’s national executive meeting.

As the BJP faces flak over issues, including controversial statements and hate speech by its leaders and also those of Sangh Parivar affiliates, Mr Modi asked the cadre to walk with all sections of society, including “intellectuals”. Reiterating his “development mantra”, Mr Modi said that attempts were being made to push the government off course, but they should remain firm on the party’s agenda.

“Forces are trying to digress us from our course, all our members will have to stay unaffected by them. We must stick to our agenda despite repeated attempts to disrupt our attempts to do developmental work, the PM said,” Union home minister Rajnath Singh said, quoting from the PM’s valedictory speech at the conclave. Mr Modi told the cadre the Opposition will “drag us into negative politics, but we need to focus on our agenda” and not get trapped by “negative style of politics of the Opposition”.

Asked if Mr Naidu had described the PM as “God’s gift to India”, Mr Singh said that he could not hear his Cabinet colleague’s speech.

“Vikas, vikas, vikas is my only focus and it is our country’s sole solution to all problems,” Mr Singh quoted the PM as saying. The PM also asked party workers to have “creativity” in the way they function, he added.

While BJP president Amit Shah took the tough nationalist discourse at the conclave, Mr Modi dwelled on his government’s work, saying the party had always taken up the cause of nationalism and now was the time for development. Mr Modi told leaders that a lot of work was done in the 22 months the party has been in power and no allegation of corruption had been levelled against it.

In an apparent dig at the Opposition parties, Mr Modi cautioned partymen against those who were not happy with the government’s “unprecedented” development work, saying they will rake up “futile” issues to make things difficult. “You should remain unaffected,” he said.

Asked what Mr Modi had said on nationalism, Mr Singh said: “He (Modi) said nationalism is our strength... We have always done agitation on the issue of nationalism and moved forward. Now the time has come for development. There is a need for development.” The BJP has been facing a lot of flak from a united Opposition over attempts to impose its idea of nationalism, specially after the JNU row. Mr Singh also claimed the BJP was very different from other political outfits as it had a “decisive leadership, progressive policies and nationalist thoughts”. He also reiterated the party’s stand that it “can tolerate political opposition, but not against the nation”.

Mr Modi also highlighted the government’s schemes, like providing LPG connections to the poor, electrification of over 6,500 villages and disbursement of Mudra loans to lakhs of people, and asked party workers to reach out to the beneficiaries.

Praising the BJP’s organisational growth, Mr Modi said there was a need for “capacity building” among party workers so that they could play a robust role in building the nation. He also asked them to engage in constructive government programmes like Swachchh Bharat and “Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao”.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Mr Modi said he connected people with the freedom movement by taking up their causes. Hailing the Union Budget, he asked party leaders to publicise its smaller highlights, like the provision of allowing small shops to remain open seven days a week.

Speaking about the government’s ongoing efforts to give 18,500 villages uninterrupted electricity, he said the party workers should go to the newly-electrified villages and celebrate “urja utsav” with the beneficiaries. He also laid emphasis on the use of technology, saying it was a tool for development.

Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Piyush Goyal, Prakash Javadekar and Narendra Singh Tomar made presentations about their work of their ministries at the meeting.