On the first day of its National Council meeting here, the BJP worked hard to stick to its organisational agenda for the meet, with party president Amit Shah asking all BJP ruled States to implement a “best practices” model of the government’s social welfare schemes within a year.
However, Kashmir and the attack on Uri continued to loom over much of the meet, and there is growing anticipation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak his mind on Pakistan at his public rally on Kozhikode beach.
Delivering on promisesMr. Shah was closeted with party office-bearers for much of the day in a series of meetings, focussed on getting the party to walk the talk on delivery, with several senior sources in the party saying that a new slogan on social and economic inclusion may well emerge from the National Council.
Party general secretary Ram Madhav, who briefed the media on Mr. Shah’s address to BJP office bearers said the party president latter had stressed on why the city of Kozhikode had been chosen for the meet.
“Calicut (former name of Kozhikode) is like a teerth (pilgrimage) for the party. It is here that Deendayal Upadhyaya was elected the president of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1967. We started a journey of Antyodaya or addressing the last man in the queue from here and traversed the distance to a full majority government at the Centre. We need to be mindful of that,” said Mr. Madhav, quoting Mr. Shah.
A committee of Chief Ministers, set up last month in New Delhi to go into the 80 social welfare schemes of the NDA government, has submitted its report on which of these can be replicated in all BJP-ruled States.
“Party president Amit Shah has set a deadline of a year, within the period when Deendayal Upadhyaya’s centenary celebrations are competed, for this to be implemented,” said Mr. Madhav.
While Mr. Madhav and other party office-bearers said Mr Shah did not mention the word Pakistan in his address, sticking to organisational matters, he did not deny that there might a an articulation of the party’s stance on it, in the political resolution to be passed at the final day of the meet. “It is natural that when the party meets at such a level, all important issues facing the country are discussed,” he said.
“We are a party of grass root workers, so naturally we appreciate the sentiments of party workers and the rest of the country. It will be discussed at an appropriate level,” he said.
Another senior office- bearer told The Hindu that the party felt that the Army’s statement on the Uri attacks, of “reserving the right to respond at a place and time of our choosing” was “the way to see things on this issue.”
In the next two days, however, the BJP hopes that the anger of its cadres and the clamour for “action” from the government, rather more than just diplomatic initiative will be pacified somewhat, after Mr. Modi and Amit Shah’s speeches.
