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Presidential Address
by
Shri Rajnath Singh
President Bharatiya Janata Party
National Council
20, January 2006, New Delhi

Dear friends,

Bharatiya Janata Party is now 25 years young. Recently we celebrated Silver Jubilee of its foundation. On the conclusion of the august convention in celebration of that occasion, the onerous responsibility of Party’s National President was placed at my shoulders. I accept it in all humility. In this task I enjoy the blessings of my senior party veterans, cooperation of my colleagues, and affection of every worker. This spirit of love and affection generates a sense of coordination, collectivism and camaraderie which is the very basis of our party’s strength. At a time when most of the political parties in the country have been reduced to the position of personal fiefs of a few leaders, BJP stands apart as a party which passes through a process of natural evolution and developments in the organization. I owe my present position entirely to this natural evolutionary process in the party.

BJP is a political party rich in distinct ideology possessing an army of committed and dedicated workers. Added to this is a succession of capable, industrious and talented leaders, and above all, inspiring leadership of respected Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Shri Lal Krishna Advani. On this basis, I can say with confidence that together we all shall take BJP to a bright future. Our collective endeavour would accelerate the process of development and instill probity in public life. On being returned to power, our commitment would be to establish Su-Raj (good governance). Our ultimate aim shall be to re-establish the divine glory of Mother India in the world, as visualized by the great sage visionaries, like Shri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda and several other great souls.

What Politics means

As political activists we are all devoted to the service of society. Therefore, we need to be clear in our minds about the nature and purpose of politics. Rajniti, the Sanskrit word for politics, is derived from conjunction of two words ‘Raj’ and ‘niti’. The word Raj is derived from the word Rajya meaning state and niti from Sanskrit word ‘nay’ meaning to lead. Therefore, Rajniti means a system of government that leads to the right path.

In our ancient culture, Rajniti is known as Raj-Dharma. The dignity and sobriety of the word Rajniti should always be clear to us. Without this depth of understanding, we will neither realise our responsibilities nor will politics get a meaningful direction.

Present Politics

The present political environment doesn’t inspire faith in the minds of people but generates distrust and fear towards life. In the present political scenario, forget about Dharma and ethics, even the set standards of morality have collapsed. Now even public etiquettes and sense of shame seem to be vanishing. Politics today stands tarnished with the evils of selfishness, arrogance, casteism and corruption.

What is the scenario of political power in the country? We have a government at the Centre with numerous tainted ministers. Two ministers had at one time been declared proclaimed offenders; one had to resign on charges of rioting; one lost his ministry for involvement in oil scandal, and still another is involved in the controversy surrounding Bofors scandal. The ruling coalition is full of contradictions. In states they fight internecine political and electoral battles against one another but in the Centre they gang up just to oppose BJP.

In order to change this situation, we need both internal strength and strategy. But the question arises : what will be inspire us and guide us to our goals?

Our inspiration - Indianness

BJP is not merely a political party but a political movement raised on solid foundations of principles inspired by India and Indianness. Our Indianness is not merely a matter of cultural pride but a source of India’s latent strength as well.

Three elements are universally considered vital for a nation’s greatness.

1. Economic Power 2. Defence Power 3. Intellectual Prowess.

Possessed of these elements, USA continues to occupy the top position in the world for the last fifty years. Earlier, for some 100-100 years, 50-50 years Britain, Spain, Turkey and Rome did occupy the top positions. But in the face of adverse circumstances, these powers at the top of the world went down within ten-twenty years.

Hindutva Hindutva is the symbol of Indian culture and traditions. It is also the source of economic prosperity, capacity to struggle, and intellectual prowess. Hindutva kindles feelings of respect for all. It arouses faith in justice and eliminates communal ill-will. It spreads the message of social equality and, above all, Hindutva is the symbol of nation’s way of life. The Supreme Court of India has also expatiated upon Hindutva on these lines. Hindutva is therefore an inspirational and liberal thought. Those who still dub it as communal ideology should apologise to the nation for this blunder. Integral Humanism The liberal, all-embracing way of life that persisted in the Indian culture down the ages has been expounded as “Integral Humanism” by our great visionary ideologue Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay in tune with the present times. In it, the relation of an individual to society, nation, world, nature and God has been propounded to be natural and continuous. This thought doesn’t provoke clash but only inspires harmony. The uplift of deprived, oppressed, dalit, neglected and backward sections is the centre point of our ideology, because without it the comprehensive development of the society cannot even be thought of. Under the philosophy of ‘Integral Humanism’, the concept of Antodaya, that is, the emancipation of the person standing on the lowest rung of the societal ladder, takes us to the fullness to our ideology.

India had been at the pinnacle of prosperity in the past. The process of loot and aggression against us began with Alexander’s invasion in 4th century BC. Then came Greeks, Huns, Shakas, Mongols, Turks, Arabs, Afghans, Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch, Mughals and last of all, the British. These invasions continued till as late as the 18th century. Till that time we continued to enjoy our prosperity. While it took only 10-20 years for the economies of others to get destroyed, it took 2000 years for our invaders to make our economy collapse. But more than that, while it took at the most 50 years for other civilizations to get destroyed, even under adverse conditions India was able to withstand the onslaught and maintain its cultural essence for 2000 years. Yet, western scholars continued to praise us for our philosophy even during the worst of times.

Today, having entered the 21st century, we recall all this not just to sing eulogies of our past, but to underline the fact that in future also we will continue to acquire excellence in vital economic, military and intellectual spheres. Our inspiration is the tradition that is recognized as Indian or Hindu culture.

Cultural Nationalism

Culture, and not political might, is the very foundation of any nation. To substantiate this point, I quote the example of two countries. One was Soviet Union that was a very strong power on the strength of political might which in the first half of 20th century had come to exercise control over almost half of the globe. Yet it could not withstand the impact of adversity of circumstances and within 72 years disintegrated into not one or two but 18 splinter states. The other country is Israel that stood obliterated from the map of the world for more than a thousand years but owing to cultural vivacity stormed back to life and political reality.

The feeling of nationalism remains vibrant in the normal course in the cultural stream. The Ram Janmabhoomi movement was the natural manifestation of this flow. The demand for removal of Article 370 and enactment of a common civil code for all citizens is the expression of feelings for national integration. It will be our earnest effort that all political parties and all communities, especially the Muslim community, come forward and rising above political contours, find out a solution to the Ram temple issue in accordance with the peoples’ sentiments. Anything other than constructing a grand temple of Ram Lalla, at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, will not be in accordance with the national spirit. It is an issue with which the faith for crores of our countrymen and the very pride of the nation is attached.

On the issue of Uniform Civil Code, I wish to remind that founder of the Constitution, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had pleaded for it in the Constituent Assembly. In the last few years, even the Judiciary had stressed on the government the need to implement directions in the Constitution regarding Uniform Civil Code. In these circumstances, I feel that keeping in view the intent of constitution-makers and directions of the Supreme Court of India, all political parties should review the matter and evolve a consensus on the subject.

With regard to Article 370, I wish to say that every political party is free to hold an independent opinion on any issue of national interest. While fully respecting this freedom of theirs I would like to request them to ponder over the spectre of terrorism raging in Kashmir for the last two decades and, at the same time, not ignore the plight of Kashmiri Hindus who have been forced to lead a life of refugees in their own country. In these circumstances, if all political parties take a sympathetic view and review their stand, it could lead to the generation of a more congenial atmosphere for finding a solution in the national interest.

The honour and proper rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pundits have been a priority for us and even today we continue to be sympathetic to the issue.

Bharatiya Jana Sangh/BJP have always been on the vanguard of upholding India’s national unity and cultural awareness. We have been struggling for unity and integrity of India from the beginning. In 1953, Jana Sangh founder Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee laid down his life for mobilising public opinion for the cause of integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India. To underscore the profound cultural affinity and unity Kashmir has with the rest of India, in 1991 Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi undertook a yatra from Kanyakumari to unfurl the national flag at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk ignoring the threat to his life. We have been in the forefront of struggle against tyranny and fascism during the days of the Emergency. The sacrifice and suffering of the dedicated cadres of the then Bharatiya Jana Sangh/RSS to restore democracy and civil liberties in the country can never be forgotten. The Ram Janmabhoomi Movement shall always be reckoned as the biggest mass movement in post-independence India. The Somnath to Ayodhya Rathyatra under Advaniji’s leadership infused a new vigour in the country. This movement imparted a new identity to India by infusing in it the concept of cultural nationalism. The movement for integration of Kashmir, struggle against the Emergency, and Ram Temple movement are milestones in the history of independent India. We are proud that Jana Sangh and BJP were harbingers of these three movements.

When the NDA government was formed at the Centre under the leadership of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he gave a new dimension to the country’s self-respect by conducting the Pokhran nuclear tests in May, 1998. After it became a nuclear power state the world has started looking at India with respect. Friends, time and again BJP has proved that what we say is not empty speeches or slogans for electoral gains only. We preach what we practise.

In other words, whether it is in the role of the ruling party or of the opposition, BJP has always been in the forefront to defend the political and cultural unity of the nation.

UPA Government failures

It will be more appropriate to call the ruling coalition at the Centre led by the Congress and subsisting on the crutches provided by the Communists as an immoral alliance not in the service of the nation but just to grab political power with the sole purpose of opposing BJP. The UPA government has only created more problems for the country and complicated many others.

National Security The country is feeling concerned today because of the deteriorating national security scenario. Terrorism is on the rise in Kashmir and peace which returned to Punjab many years back is once again being threatened by terrorism raising its head in the State. In addition, Naxalite violence has already gripped and is increasingly spreading its tentacles fast in about 170 districts covering the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the country. The situation is deteriorating in India’s northeast day by day. Violence has escalated in Assam and surprisingly its Congress Chief Minister is proposing to provide safe passage to extremist organisations. In Manipur, it appears as if the administration has apparently prostrated itself before the adversary. Terrorist organisations there are forcing the BJP and other opposition parties to keep away from elections. Senior Police Officers have been murdered. An ethnic war erupted between Dimasa and Kabri Anglong tribes and the government has continued to be a mute spectator. Here also Congress is indulging in a policy of appeasement of terrorist organisations. In the 19 months of UPA government’s reign, the terrorist assaults in Ayodhya, Delhi and Bangalore have proved that this government can neither protect centres of cultural importance like Ayodhya, nor centres of political importance like Delhi, nor the developing centres of economic and technical importance, like Bangalore. During its rule terrorism is fast moving towards destroying the cultural, political and economic fabric of the country.

Demographic Aggression

The Census 2001 has revealed alarming facts about worsening religious balance in India’s demography. The government tried its best to suppress these facts. The growing imbalance in religious demography in frontier districts of West Bengal and Assam is a matter of national concern. It is not what is happening in the natural course but the impact of demographic aggression from across the international border. Sadly, this enjoys the indirect patronage of the UPA government.

Infiltration from Bangladesh is on the rise. Today more than 20 million Bangladeshis have intruded into the country. The Supreme Court has likened the situation to the one of external aggression. The IMDT Act promulgated with the intention of detecting and deporting illegal immigrants in practice proved to be their greatest promoter and protector. The Act was struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. The Congress and Leftists, keeping political expediency in mind adopted a lax attitude in this regard. There would hardly have been any other country in the world that tolerates such type of infiltration. The Congress has thus, for selfish reasons, put a question mark on the security of the country.

Policy of Appeasement

Congress has a history of indulging in a policy of appeasements at the cost of national interests. Right since the partition of India to Shah Bano case only this facet of Congress has manifested itself. As a consequence, the present government has started eroding the basic structure of the Constitution. The court judgments against reservation to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh and in Aligarh Muslim University substantiate the righteousness of BJP’s stand. In spite of this, the Union Human Resource Development Minister continues to harp that the government would find out some other means for giving 50 percent reservation to Muslims in post-graduate courses in AMU. This is nothing less than a blatant contempt of the Constitution.

Politicisation of Education

In ancient past, India had been the Vishwaguru of the world and, in the present, it is emerging as an intellectual hub of the world for the future. The importance education enjoys can, in the normal course, be appreciated from this fact. Our system of education needs to be such that it promotes nationalism. But unfortunately, the Congress and the leftists have conspired to remove the elements of nationalism from education. By describing Lords Rama and Krishna as mere imaginary characters they are trying to sever future generation’s links with the nation’s heritage. If Lords Rama and Krishna are imaginary beings, then can the greatness of India be real?

Not only this, the government has gone to the extent of undermining nationalism by denigrating the revolutionaries of our freedom struggle in the text books. A UPA minister committed the nefarious act of removing the historic plaque of Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar from the Cellular Jail in Port Blair. The tendency to insult the elements of nationalism is very much visible both in thoughts and actions of this government. The institutions of higher learning are being commercialised to such an extent that it is becoming increasingly impossible for a poor student to afford education in an institution of higher education.

Village, Poor and Farmer

75 percent of India’s population lives in villages. Agriculture is the mainstay of our economic development. In spite of that the Indian farmer is leading a life of want and misery. Thousands of farmers have committed suicide. The situation is so alarming that over 500 farmers from a village in Vidharba, Maharashtra, plagued by bad debts wrote to the Honourable President of India seeking permission to end their lives. 40 percent of farmers want to quit agriculture and engage themselves in other professions. UPA government policies are completely anti-farmer. In recently concluded WTO meet at Hong Kong, UPA government buckled under the pressure of developed countries and sacrificed the interests of Indian farmers. This government apparently lacks the will power to protect the interests of farmers.

Why protect Quattrocchi? Nearly two decades old Bofors Scandal recently took a shameful turn when two London accounts of middle-man and close Gandhi family friend, Ottavio Quattrocchi, were allowed to be de-freezed by UPA government. It created queer and embarrassing situation for the Congress. First, it was stated that PMO had no information about it, and later, it was given out that Law Ministry has no links with it. Whatever it is, it looks strange that Additional Solicitor General of Government of India should go to Britain to give a clean chit to a person against whom a case is pending in Delhi High Court and Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against him. It has happened for the first time in the history of India that an investigating agency has taken upon itself the function of a Judge. When the case is sub-judice in court, has the Law Ministry the power to decide whether there is sufficient evidence against the accused or not? But without a sense of shame the UPA mounted pressure on the CBI to change its original stand and cleared the decks for withdrawal of $4 million Bofors kickback money parked in two London bank accounts. Bharatiya Janata Party feels that the amount Quattrocchi has withdrawn from his London account is the hard-earned money of Indian taxpayers. Therefore, it must be brought back to India. Speaking from an undisclosed location, Quattrocchi has alleged that a particular political party of India was targetting him for his proximity to the Gandhi family. We acknowledge that Quattrocchi is referring to BJP. But with all the courage and determination at our command we declare that BJP will target every person who tries to siphon off Indian money abroad. The Prime Minister and Smt. Sonia Gandhi must clarify why the country was taken for a ride.

Bharatiya Janata Party is committed to ensuring the emancipation of the village, the poor and the peasantry. Farmers represent not only the bulk of country’s population, they also constitute the largest chunk of producers and consumers. The economic advancement of the country can be ushered in only if we enhance the purchasing power of the farmers. Comprehensive development of rural sectors is absent at the moment. Farmer is the backbone of rural sector. The village environment creates a sense of self-reliance and social relationship in the farmer. It is therefore necessary that the condition of farmers should be improved by making greater investment in the farming sector. Industrial development of the nation is inter-linked with the agricultural development. Besides being the purveyor of food grains for the country, farmer also produces the raw material vital for industrial development of the country. Agriculture can become the pivot of this country’s economy and the mainstay of building a self-reliant nation.

The NDA government had taken several initiatives for the uplift of village, poor and farmers. For the first time in the history of India the rate of interest on farm loans was reduced from 14-18 percent to 9 percent. Kissan Credit Cards were distributed and terms for farm loans were relaxed and made easy. The Agriculture Income Insurance Scheme was launched to guarantee a definite income to farmers and to insure his farm earnings, but the present UPA government has shelved these farmer friendly schemes. Therefore, I accuse that the mindset of this UPA government as antipathetic to rural areas, poor and farmers. The struggle of rural areas, the poor and the farmer is in fact the real struggle for India’s uplift, for decentralisation of political power, for equality and harmony in society, and in the real sense the struggle for country’s self-reliance.

I wish to call upon the activists:

Pahuncho Khet aur Khalihanon tak
Gaon, Gareeb aur Kissanon tak

(Reach out to the fields and farms, to villages, poor and farmers.)

The Common Man

The phenomenon of uncontrolled rise in prices has become synonymous with the advent of Congress governments. Today the prices of petrol, diesel, LPG, cereals and fertilizers are spiraling. These have been raised upward six or seven times during last 19 months. Even in spite of skyrocketing prices, nothing like LPG, fertilizer and the like is available easily in the market. Black market in essential commodities is thriving in the country to the discomfort of the common man and to the prosperity of the black-marketeers and hoarders who seem to be the main supporters of the present government.

The interest rates on small savings by common man have been reduced. So have the interest rates on Provident Funds for government employees gone down. On the contrary, interest rates on loans for house construction have been hiked.

The government went a step further. It curtailed the quota of ration for those living below the poverty line, which for the time being had to be rolled back under intense political pressure. This has laid bare the anti-people and anti-poor face of this government.

By launching Employment Guarantee Scheme without a matching budgetary provision, the Congress has played a cruel joke with the unemployed youth. Now it has become amply clear that be it the poor farmer or the unemployed youth, the government employee or the common man, everybody is the victim of the wrong policies of this government. Therefore, I declare from this platform that we find this government inimical to the poor and the farmer.

During the last General Elections the Congress had raised the slogan-“Congress Ka Haath, Aam Admi ke saath” (The Hand of Congress is with the common man). It is now beyond proof today that the Hand of Congress is not helping the common man but is actually thrashing him.

Collapse of Constitutional Order

Because of the wrong policies of the UPA government, the situation in the country has deteriorated. By misusing power with ulterior designs, the constitutional order stands very much disturbed. UPA has indulged in blatant misuse of constitutional institutions to serve its selfish ends. This process commenced with the creation of two power centres in the government. In practical terms, it was a devaluation of the office of Prime Minister. An extra-constitutional power centre was created under the name of Chairman of National Advisory Council. Several MPs with criminal backgrounds were inducted into the Union Council of Ministers.

Our Neighbours The foreign policy adopted by NDA Government under the able leadership of Atalji resulted in emergence of India as a potent economic and military power on the global scene. But this government has failed to safeguard our national interests even with our neighbours. Pakistan The peace process with Pakistan was a courageous pioneering step by Atalji with a commitment to peace. We need to cultivate friendly relations not only with Pakistan, but with all our neighbours. But at present every suggestion emanates from Pakistan and India is just giving its reactions. It will be a great blunder on the part of the present government if we lose the initiative at improving relations started by our Government. Why is the Government not taking people into confidence on this issue? Government must learn to stand firm. Bangladesh The BJP is very much concerned with the incidences going on in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has become a new resort for the terrorists, drug mafia and the smugglers of weapons. If the problem of infiltration, rising crime and the mushrooming of Madarsas in Bangladesh along the Indian border, all are taken together, this gives a very serious picture. This is a very sensitive issue pertaining to our internal security. UPA Government should try to find out some solution before this problem takes a gigantic proportion. Nepal The harmony of intimate relations between India and Nepal is historical and spans centuries. We can see the glimpse of this intimacy in the various fields from education to trade and commerce and even representation in the Army. The basis of this relationship is the cultural and civilisational affinity. During the last few months this mutual relationship has turned sour. The government of India has stopped the supply of arms and ammunition to Nepal for fighting against the Maoist insurgency. In the mean time, China has supplied some arms to Nepal. Pakistan is also inclined to have friendship with Nepal. NDA Government adopted an appropriate policy towards Nepal, which is not the case with this Government. Constitutional monarchy symbolises the people’s sentiments and the Nepali ethos. The democratic system is required for the modern development and economic and social advancement of Nepal. The lack of any of these two can create imbalance leading to uncertainty in Nepal. The government of India must keep an eye on it. The rising influence and terror of Maoist forces cannot be left apart as an internal matter of Nepal. This is bound to inflict far reaching consequences on our internal security. It will be better if all the political parties in Nepal take part in the democratic process initiated at the level of local bodies by H.E. King. The Government of India should try to create an atmosphere conducive to this process. As the Maoist forces are indulging in violence since several years, so their approach cannot be termed as truly democratic. Therefore any step of non-cooperation with the Government of Nepal on the issue of countering the Maoist forces is not in the national interest. It is required that the UPA Government should rectify its policy and remove the present restrictions on arms supply to Nepal. Government should ensure to maintain our natural and intimate relations with Nepal. The policy of India towards Nepal cannot be considered only as a matter of foreign policy as it involves many consequences on the future of our internal security.

The government indulged in more grievous blunders subsequently. The way a BJP government was pulled down in Goa and people verdict was hijacked in Bihar and Jharkhand through gubernatorial manipulations is well known to the entire country. While the Supreme Court held the dissolution of Bihar assembly as ‘Unconstitutional’, it described the conduct of Jharkhand governor as ‘fraud’ on the Constitution. With these actions the dignity of the office of Governor has been lowered. It is becoming increasingly evident that the intentions of this government run from behind the stage by an extra-constitutional authority are intended to undermine authority of the Constitution.

A Union Minister, in a press conference, abused the Election Commission of India as being not only partial but casteist too. Two Cabinet Ministers called each other’s names from public platforms. Twice, Union Ministers were found fugitives. Never had the dignity of Union Cabinet plummeted so low in independent India as it is under UPA.

The incident of MPs accepting bribe is utterly reprehensible. It should be taken to mean a matter involving the dignity of Parliament. Corruption charges have been levelled against individual MPs even before. In a recently published book Mitrokhin Archives-II, compiled by a former KGB archivist, Vasili Mitrokhin, it has been revealed that the entire Congress and Communist Party was guilty of accepting foreign money as bribe. In Volcker Report, it is not only Natwar Singh, but the name of Congress Party figures prominently as a beneficiary in the oil scam. The charge of accepting bribe for ideology and making compromise with nation’s sovereignty has been levelled against Congress and Communist Party. We already know that the ideology of Communism had come from abroad on the strength of foreign money. The Communists who oppose Foreign Direct Investment in industry and commerce, had been welcoming foreign direct investment in their ideology!

Dubious Agreement.

There is lack of transparency in the nuclear agreement reached between India and USA. There is ample scope for suspicion on this account. UPA government is committing a series of blunders in the vital area of national security. Have we compromised with the independence of our nuclear policy? The Prime Minister claims that the deal has been struck from a position of equality, but the statements made by US officials do not substantiate PM’s claim and fail to convince people. It is an anomalous situation in which US Parliament has been provided with full details of the agreement while the Indian Parliament has been kept in the dark.

After the end of cold war, India’s relations improved with the rest of the world, including the US during the NDA rule. It is a matter of proud achievement for the nation. However, the manner in which the UPA Government is cultivating its relations with the US administration, the domination of American interests, policies, and strategies is becoming increasingly prominent. Because of these wrongs of UPA, India is now losing fast the advantage it had gained in the wake of Pokhran test in 1998. The BJP warns the Government not to do anything under pressure which disturbs the balance of our relations with US presently on an equal footing. It should not compromise with our integrity and sovereignty.

Social Harmony

BJP considers every person from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean as an Indian. India is his origin and that is his caste. We all are one and constitute one nation with a unified culture and only one nationality. In spite of this fact, with an eye on vote bank many political parties indulge in petty politics of caste. BJP stands committed to empowerment of socially and economically underprivileged, those left out of the national mainstream as a result of neglect by state and society, and extending special opportunities to Scheduled castes and groups as pledged by our constitution makers. BJP believes in the oneness of the people. We favour extending special opportunities to them and other economically backward people in matters of nation-building. When I was Chief Minister of UP I had charted out a programme for identification of extremely backward people and dalits to give them special benefits and opportunities. But the pseudo standard bearers of social justice nullified all our efforts and achievements in that direction.

BJP favours Women’s Reservation Bill

We believe that to create a mighty and prosperous India, it is necessary to empower women. It is imperative to increase representation of women at every level. There is a need to give them greater responsibilities in matters of the nation and organisation and inspire them to perform their roles well. That is why BJP strongly supports 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and we want the Women’s Reservation Bill to be adopted in Parliament at the earliest. We are relentlessly striving to increase women’s representation in BJP. There is a need to give women greater representation down from mandal level up to top-most echelons of the party.

State funding of elections

Bharatiya Janata Party from the very beginning has believed and accepted the principle that it would be appropriate for the Government exchequer to bear all expenditure related to elections. Advaniji has often taken initiative in this matter. It is our firm belief that the main reason that promotes the prevalent political corruption in the country is uncontrolled expenditure by candidates in elections.

Bharatiya Janata Party wants the influence of money and muscle power in politics to end and political sanctity to be established. To end corruption, the present election law should be amended and a feasible plan of action must be worked out. We believe that this issue transcends political ideologies and is in national interest. Therefore, all parties should come forward with a consensus and show the way to making elections a healthy political contest.

The NDA government The work done by respected Atalji during six years of NDA rule was outstanding and unprecedented with regard to India’s development. History will definitely take note of the fact of the finesse with which respected Atalji successfully carried forward an alliance of 26 parties. We have shattered the Congress myth that it alone can run a government smoothly and for long. We altered not only the polarisation of politics in the country but established ourselves as the most dependable and effective party in coalition politics. The present government is reaping the fruits of the policies in economy, foreign affairs, military prowess, rural development, emancipation of farmers and youth in the country launched by NDA regime. We can proudly claim that we had solidified the foundation to make India a superpower and can claim with conviction that we alone can take this initiative to its logical conclusion. We have some plans for ushering in a bright future for the country.

Youth determine India’s destiny

The youth of India will determine its destiny and will control the fate of this ancient nation. Today India is the country having the largest youth population in the world. The youth are engaged in establishing supremacy of their talent all over the world in spheres of science, technology, information technology and medicine. They will undoubtedly transform the current century into India’s century and take India to the pinnacle of glory. The country’s progress will be powered by the keenness, prowess and strength of the youth. I call upon them to join us and build a new India.

Organisation

It should be crystal clear to us that in Indian politics today, the falling credibility of politicians, economic imbalance, secessionist forces raising their heads, Swadeshi economy straining under globalisation and the foreign influence on social structure are testing our mettle. Simultaneously, Communist control of the Government and the utterly negative behaviour of Congress have created a complicated, difficult situation. We should think over as to how best the country can be brought out of this vicious circle. Only that party can save the country from this complex situation which has the following three qualities:

In Indian politics, only Bharatiya Janata Party has all the three qualities. It alone is purely Indian in origin, philosophy and conduct, and is undoubtedly the only symbol of nationalism in Indian politics.

Our organization has expanded and its acceptability increased in numerous parts of the country. We have reached out to many sections of the society. Our acceptability amongst political parties has also increased. Our alliances with parties having ideologies a different from us has been continuing for a long time in many States, such as Bihar and Orissa. Thus, today we have acquired the shape of a huge organisation.

But we will have to admit honestly that due to expansion and being in power in the past few years, we are faced with the challenge of maintaining a balance with the high ideals and expectations for us in people’s minds. We will have to reawaken people’s faith in us.

We should remember that the process of BJP’s political ascent which began 16-17 years ago, was due to our ideological uniqueness and clean image. We will have to accept that in the test of uniqueness and clean image we have not got the desired success in fulfilling public expectations. We need to be more vigilant in future because a small slip in this direction can destroy our uniqueness and image and create an existential crisis.

The foundation of our distinctiveness must be clear in our minds. Cultural nationalism from political point of view, Swadeshi from economic point of view, and Su-Raj from the administrative point of view and for all this, we need a clean image coupled with principled conduct.

Expectation from activists

All of us need to go in for introspection to preserve the phenomenon of expansion and strength we earned through sacrifices and privation after being face to face with complexities in all circumstances. Since intoxication of power blunts our capacity for struggle, our objective should always remain to keep alive that zeal in us. Capturing power is not the ultimate goal with us. Our objective is to change the future of India through political power. Today the complexity of situation in the country, many questions regarding national security, negative politics of the present ruling coalition, shadow of foreign influence, declining social values and new low depths in politics – all emit a clear signal that a tough struggle awaits us in future.

At this hour we should exercise full control over our personal ambitions and the competition within our organisation. The qualities we should imbibe as an activist can be divided into four levels as given below:

Thus, restraint (Sanyam), coordination (Samanvaya), struggle(Sangharsh) and service (Seva) are our ideals.

The humblest of work done by us as an activist should reflect our ideological uniqueness and clean image. This will lay the lasting foundation for our success. All our political parties and organisations speak of principles but public is not taken in by their professions of principles. Why is it so? It is so only because public is not impressed either by mere speeches of any party’s leader, or by propaganda machinery of a party or government, but only by the conduct of top leaders of the party. A striking example is the decline of Congress in Indian politics. The Congress which led the freedom struggle, had a nationwide organisation and talked loftily of principles. But the fall in the standards of conduct of Congress leaders is solely responsible for the present dismal position of this large political party. Therefore, it is clear that the conduct, morality and personal image of leaders should always be above suspicion. We are trying to provide leadership to the society as representatives of Bharatiya Janata Party. Hence, our image is the primary source of strength of our political power.

Today terrible vices like criminalisation, corruption and casteism have overwhelmed our politics. Of these, casteism is the most serious and lethal problem because it goes beyond criminalisation and corruption in polluting not only the work culture but also contaminating our ideological base.

Hence, all of us activists should keep ourselves free from narrow, selfish feelings and strive as devoted workers with a honest, clean image to establish the ideological distinctiveness of BJP among the people and vow not to rest till the work of emancipation of the person standing at lowest rung of the social ladder is complete.

Acceptability of BJP has increased

Electoral victory and defeat are parameters of success or failure of a political party. Beyond election results, the ideological commitment to national concerns is the real measure of success or failure of a political party. The effort to bring about positive fundamental changes in a nation’s life is a barometer of success for a party. Implementing anti-national policies for a vote bank is indicative of the failure of political parties. BJP has always remained true to its ideological commitment.

After the last General Elections, we were successful in forming a government in Jharkhand again. Regarding Bihar, people often said that the political sun of Lalu’s rule would never set. However, in November 2005 democracy pushed that sun to set and the people handed over power to BJP-JD (U) alliance for Bihar’s progress. BJP has created an ideological space for itself in the country. The results of recently concluded local body elections in Gujarat are indicative of BJP’s growing popularity and public acceptance. Congress has not only shrunk, it has also been rejected by the people. Earlier BJP had secured overwhelming majority in the local body and zila panchayat elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. We got resounding success in Punjab too. The mass base of BJP is increasing in all the States. In the southern States of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, BJP registered an impressive presence in municipal body elections.

Forthcoming Assembly Elections

Assembly elections are due in several States of the country within a few months. The States where elections will be held are Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. We believe that we shall also succeed in these States.

Pledge for the Future

The 20th century was the century of India’s independence and there is no doubt that the 21st century will be that of India’s greatness. If in 20th century, the credit for India’s independence went to Congress, in 21st century, the credit for India’s greatness is destined to be given to us.

We will take the message of Swaraj and Shuchita (clean politics) given to us by respected Atalji and Advaniji, to realise the dream of Su-raj along with Swaraj in the times to come.
In the end I would like to clarify that organisation alone cannot be the be-all and end-all of everything. No matter how good or great the organisation is but without life, without the readiness to take risks, without the will to face dangers, it cannot provide solutions to the problems or challenges we face at present. That is why I believe that struggle should form the basis of our organisation.

We will struggle, strive and through peaceful and constitutional means mobilise public opinion. There is no place amongst us for people with lust for power, pelf and position. BJP shall have to pursue grass root politics to restore people’s faith lost to politics, political parties and political leaders. Manipulative politics of convenience does not last for long. We will have to jump into the fray carrying the Constitution in one hand and symbol of equality in the other. We will draw inspiration from life and struggles of Chhatrapati Maharaj Shivaji who sounded the bugle of national pride and from Mahatma Jyotirba Phule, the icon of social equality.

At the end, I would like to conclude by reciting two lines:

“Glorious was the past, future shall be great,
If you control the present”

Bharat Mata ki Jai!