NEW DELHI: BJP National President JP Nadda on Sunday reiterated that the BJP is the world’s largest ideology-based political party, and one that has never compromised on its core principles.
Speaking at an event to mark the party's 45th foundation day at its central office, which coincided with Ram Navami, Nadda said the BJP is deeply rooted in India’s traditions, culture and political ideology.
“Our goal is not to control Waqf Boards. The Centre aims to ensure they operate within the law, so their assets can be used to promote education, healthcare, and employment for the Muslim community on a large scale,” Nadda asserted, referring to the recently passed Waqf Amendment Bill, which received presidential assent after clearing both Houses of Parliament. He also cited examples of how countries such as Turkey handle Waqf properties.
Reaffirming the Modi government’s position, Nadda said, “We do not seek to control the Waqf Board. Our aim is to ensure that those managing it do so within legal boundaries and adhere to established rules. The properties and funds of the Waqf Board will be dedicated to promoting education, healthcare, and employment for the Muslim community.”
Recalling the BJP’s evolution as a political force, Nadda noted that the party, which began as the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951, has now become the world’s largest political party.
“We have never deviated from our ideological foundation for votes, unlike the Congress, which has suffered due to ideological dilution. Our founding stalwarts like Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and others made the party dedicated to the nation and the New Bharat,” he remarked.
Highlighting the BJP’s current strength, Nadda said the party now has 240 members in the Lok Sabha, 98 in the Rajya Sabha, and over 1,600 MLAs across the country. “We’ve just concluded our membership drive, and the number of BJP members has surpassed 13.5 crore. We now have more than 10 lakh active party workers,” he said, adding that the BJP is the only political party that has witnessed “scientific growth.”
"Expanding the organisation and winning elections is both an art and a science," he said. “While our opponents criticise us in Parliament, they also acknowledge that we are the world’s largest party. Even they recognise our strength.”
He called on BJP workers to spend a day next week at every booth and engage with the party’s oldest members.
Defining the party’s ideology, Nadda said the BJP always prioritises the nation and upholds India’s cultural and historical traditions. He said a “magnificent” Ram temple had been built in Ayodhya during the BJP’s rule, fulfilling a long-standing promise.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Nadda accused it of appeasement politics in the Shah Bano case. He said that under then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress bowed to pressure from certain Muslim groups, ignoring the Supreme Court's call for the emancipation of Muslim women. “No one had the courage to take decisive action,” he said.
In contrast, Nadda praised the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi for abolishing triple talaq to empower Muslim women. He also mentioned that the BJP-led NDA government had granted citizenship rights to those who migrated to India after facing religious persecution in Pakistan.
“We said we would move beyond the colonial mindset. Rajpath is now Kartavya Path, and a statue of Subhash Chandra Bose has been installed near India Gate. We also scrapped Article 370. We never compromised on our ideological foundation,” he said.
Nadda further claimed that the BJP is advancing with the ideological foundation laid by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, while accusing the Congress of trying to undermine its “soul.”
He urged BJP workers to engage with the public from April 14 to 25, during Ambedkar Jayanti, to expose how the Congress “undermined the Constitution’s fundamental spirit.” He also asked them to visit at least one booth and interact with veteran party members from the Jan Sangh and early BJP days.
Later in the day, Nadda visited 98-year-old Shakuntala Arya, a veteran BJP worker who had served as Delhi Mayor in 1997.