HYDERABAD: Union minister for urban development M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday admitted that the ruling BJP failed to take the positives of demonetisation to the masses fully.
“We should note one thing. Our party workers’ weakness is that on demonetisation, BJP workers could not transmit it to the required levels. We should agree that but we got support from unexpected quarters,” he said. TS unit of BJP celebrated party’s victory in recently concluded Maharashtra Municipal elections here on Saturday.
Addressing party workers, Venkaiah Naidu said Congress and Communists started opposing government’s move on demonetisation. People started realising that there must be something good in the whole exercise as they believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will always do the needful, he said.
The Union minister said that chief ministers of TS, AP and Bihar supported demonetisation. “You opposed it. You do not know what you talk,” he remarked. Venkaiah Naidu further said BJP was emerging as a pan-Indian party and has about 11 crore members and on the other hand Congress with its dwindling strength was becoming a “notional party”.
Citing success in Maharashtra civic polls, Naidu urged party cadre to work hard towards similar results in TS. “We have more number of party workers than any other party in the world. We are number one in this country also. Still there are many places and districts where party has to spread its wings,” he said.
Venkaiah Naidu came down heavily on senior Congress leader P Chidambaram over his remarks on Kashmir and sought to know the Congress’ stand on the issue. “
We want to ask Congress what is their stand on Kashmir?” he asked. Chidambaram, in an event on Friday reportedly answered a question about Jammu and Kashmir, saying he felt India has ‘nearly lost’ Kashmir because of Centre using force and youth feel dissent there.
“This is an irresponsible statement tantamounting to encouraging terrorism. Such statements are music to ears of our neighbour which is abetting and breeding terrorism,’’ Naidu said.