Amit Shah takes on Rahul Gandhi at BJP national executive meeting

The Congress vice-president, during his recent visit to the U.S., defended dynastic politics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and senior BJP leader L. K. Advani at the party’s National Executive meeting in New Delhi on Monday.

BJP president Amit Shah countered the offensive mounted by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi , during the latter’s tour of the United States, by asserting that the ruling party believed in the politics of performance rather than dynasty.

Mr. Shah was addressing a meeting of the BJP’s extended National Executive in New Delhi including all lawmakers from the party, and chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of States where BJP is in power singly or in coalition.

Railway minister Piyush Goyal briefed the media about the speech which, apart from this counter to Mr Gandhi, lauded the Narendra Modi-led government over its performance in the economic, diplomatic and internal security policies.

“The BJP president gave a befitting reply to Mr Rahul Gandhi armed with facts and figures. He (Rahul Gandhi) should answer what the Congress has given the country apart from scams amounting to Rs 12,000 crores and a politics of appeasement.

"The BJP believes in the politics of performance and is oriented to improving people’s lives through governance. That is why the President of India, the vice president, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha are all people who have made it to these posts on the basis of merit,” Mr Goyal quoted Mr Shah as saying.

“We welcome competitive politics, the longer Mr Gandhi is in public life the better for us,” said Mr Goyal as an aside.

Campaign in Kerala, West Bengal

Mr Shah also announced a fortnight-long campaign between October 13-17 to be undertaken by the party in Kerala to protest against political violence allegedly by the Left-led government in the State.

West Bengal and Kerala were clearly flagged as areas where the party sought to increase its foot print and both opposition-led State governments were criticised by the BJP chief for turning a blind eye to political violence.

The BJP chief also gave details of his organizational tour, of up to 110 days, that he undertook after the last National Executive of the party in Bhubhaneswar.

Out of 9,60,000 polling booths across the country, the party has managed to deploy its own workers in 7,63,947. The National Executive also thanked the 4,600 full time workers who spent six months in various States for this purpose.