BJP chief Amit Shah kept up the momentum for his party’s celebration of the second anniversary of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, saying the BJP had fulfilled its electoral promise of providing a decisive government at the Centre — one that “ended the confusion of the last few decades over welfare versus reforms, rural versus urban development and diplomacy over defence when it came to internal security.”
“In two years, it has laid a strong foundation. In the next three years, a strong building of development will be raised. I am sure that when we go to the people again for votes in 2019, we would have fulfilled all our promises,” he said.
Cabinet reshuffle
Asked whether a Cabinet reshuffle was in the offing to fill the vacancy left by Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam, the BJP president said, “It [reshuffle] could happen, but dates are not fixed.”
Presenting the government’s two-year report card, Mr. Shah also pitched the party’s “good” performance in the Assembly polls as the people’s mandate on controversies over Rohith Vemula’s suicide and the Jawaharlal Nehru University issue. He took on the Congress, saying that those who raised these issues are “nowhere”.
Asked if the party had now decided to close the chapter on these controversial issues, he said, “People have already done it.” He noted that the Assembly polls were held in the wake of these rows. “Those who raised these issues are nowhere,” he said, a reference to the Congress’ defeats in Kerala and Assam, and the Left’s poor show in West Bengal.
“When we came to power, the UPA's 10-year-rule had left behind an empty treasury, policy paralysis, a demoralised bureaucracy, despondent masses and a state of hopelessness. The government has struck a balance between reforms and public welfare and got success,” the BJP president said.
He cited a string of figures, including the highest ever urea and power production, highways construction, FDI inflow and forex reserves in 2015-16, besides the pro-poor and pro-farmer schemes to underline his point.
From Saturday, 30 BJP teams, comprising ministers and party office-bearers, will travel across the country, holding events at over 200 destinations to publicise the government's achievements.
“Even our opponents cannot say that there is corruption in this government. The response of the government to people’s issue has been exemplary, the latest example of it is the Ordinance on NEET,” he said.
Asked about the criticism levelled against the government by the Congress, Mr Shah brushed it away. “Did you expect them to praise this government?” he asked rhetorically.