NEW DELHI: BJP chief Amit Shah stated Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the tallest leader of the country since Independence. Crediting the Prime Minister for the unprecedented party victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Shah termed the scale of the win for the saffron outfit as “historic”.
Flanked by his team members and with joy of the victory evident on his face, Shah claimed that the state verdict would change the course of politics and herald the “politics of performance” in the country. Asserting that the political pundits should stop analysing elections on caste and religious lines, the BJP chief stated that the poor of the country has strongly backed the leadership of the Prime Minister for showing results on grounds through 93 Centrally sponsored schemes designed for the welfare of the downtrodden.
“The political leaders will have to acknowledge that the Prime Minister is the tallest leader of the country since Independence. The Congress in the last 70 years only took political advantage in the name of schemes for the poor. But it has been the Prime Minister who actually delivered the benefits to the poor, who now are rock-solid behind Modi,” claimed Shah, while addressing the media at the BJP headquarters.
The BJP chief also slammed the political rivals for spearheading campaigns against the Prime Minister and the saffron outfits. “The people in the four states have given a resounding reply to the negative personalised campaign against the Prime Minister and the BJP. The Opposition should now realise that they should adopt a positive agenda and drop the negative agenda against the BJP,” Shah added.
The BJP chief exuded confidence that the party would form governments in both Goa and Manipur. “We are very confident that the BJP will form government in both Goa and Manipur. The numbers favour us. People in Manipur have rejected the Congress government,” Shah said, while stating that there would not be a re-think on alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab.
While responding to a question if the BJP would have been better off without the SAD, Shah quipped that his party does not desert friends, while adding that there would be a thorough analysis of the loss in the state. The BJP chief also stated that the allies in UP would be part of the government in the state.
Reiterating that the first decision of the BJP led UP government would be on waiver of loan of marginal and small farmers, Shah dropped hints that the Maharashtra government too could take similar decision. “I will inform when Devendra (Fadanwis) holds press conference,” Shah said, while replying to a query if similar loan waiver is on anvil in Maharashtra.
The BJP chief also stated that UP would come on the path of double digit economic growth after the formation of the BJP government in the state.