Often accused of talking the road divergent from the old order, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday drew a parallel between this government’s stand at the WTO and the decision to conduct the nuclear tests by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998.
Clarifying the position taken at the WTO, the Prime Minister said just as the BJP government did not wilt under pressure of what the global repercussions will be then, it would continue to worry about the country without being bothered about the outcome for the party.
Taking a dig at the Congress, Mr. Modi said, “Those who sought votes in the name of food security, had no qualms about India’s welfare and went ahead to sign the agreement at WTO.” Former Union Minister Anand Sharma had signed the agreement at Bali last year.
Addressing the BJP National Council meeting here, he said the promises made in the BJP manifesto are being fulfilled, proof of that being the “changed work culture and the cleanliness drive” initiated soon after the government took over.
“I am surprised that those who did nothing for 60 years are seeking assessment of what has been accomplished in 60 days,” Mr. Modi said, but promised to meet the aspirations of the people who voted for the party in such large numbers.
“I didn’t know anything in Delhi, nor about Parliament, but after 60 days I feel we are going in the right direction. The fact that a government has come with a heavy mandate from the people has also made the world look at India differently. The world view has changed towards India,” he pointed out.
For his part, party president Amit Shah said for the government to run efficiently, the party would have to play a crucial role. He stressed on the need to expand to frontiers where the BJP is yet to garner support and said, “We cannot rule for long if the party's reach does not expand,” directing the cadres to prepare for the coming Assembly elections.
