Narendra Modi has restored the credibility, dignity and stature of the Prime Minister’s Office, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said here on Saturday, attacking the Congress for the alleged dual-power centre — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi — during the United Progressive Alliance rule.
At a press conference on the Modi government’s first year in office, Mr. Jaitley said: “In this government, the last word belongs to the Prime Minister, and that’s how it should be. Policy paralysis has been replaced with decisiveness, and there is clarity of direction. There is no place for lobbying and corruption in this government, and misuse of investigating agencies has been stopped.”
He said the Opposition had an important function, but they should not oppose what they themselves had initiated. “The BJP has become the central pole of India politics. The country’s politics will be pro- or anti-BJP because we are centre stage,” he said.
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He said the alliance government of the Peoples Democratic Party and the BJP was a “turning point” for Jammu and Kashmir.
To a question, Mr. Jaitley said the minorities were safe, and in the past one year, the government made sure there were no social tensions. The attacks on churches were largely “law and order” issues, and all religious institutions had been given security which had never been done in the past.
On the provocative statements made by BJP leaders, Mr. Jaitley said they were told not to do so by the top leadership.
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