New Delhi: Opposition attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the highlight of discussion on the first day of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national executive meeting Monday. Briefing the media after the discussion, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “The Opposition ran a negative campaign against the PM on Pegasus (snooping scandal), Rafale deal, enforcement directorate and money laundering cases, the central vista project, economic status based reservation and demonetisation. All these cases were fought in court and judgment has been in favour of the central government. The Supreme Court crushed Opposition’s negative campaigns and exposed them through legal responses.”
Law minister Kiren Rijiju, who moved the resolution on the first day of the two-day national executive meeting highlighted six instances of Opposition campaigns to “malign” the PM and create suspicion among the public about the PM’s intention, at a time when Modi was trying to build India’s image of a “Vishwa Guru” or world leader, said those present at the meeting.
The BJP’s concern for the PM’s image comes in the wake of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, which many feel has helped the Opposition party establish connect with the public. Sources in the BJP told ThePrint that while it remained to be seen whether the Yatra can help get votes for the party, it was definitely a well-organised mass contact programme, which touched a chord with people.
“The Prime Minister’s intention is clear. (Modi’s) leadership is not corruptible, (it is) leadership which works for country. His (Modi’s) leadership is inspiring and top BJP leaders lauded the PM’s leadership role in the national executive,” said Sitharaman.
Rijiju’s nine-point resolution also included a discussion on India’s G20 presidency and assembly elections — both this year’s upcoming ones in states like Karnataka, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya and the party’s victory and loss, in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, late last year, with Chief Ministers of the poll-bound states presenting their strategy for the upcoming elections, said sources.
“BJP chief J.P. Nadda said in the National Executive meeting that 2023 is very important and we have to fight and win nine state elections this year and then general elections in 2024,” BJP member of Parliament (MP) Ravi Shankar Prasad told the media Monday.
The MP added that while Nadda termed BJP’s victory in last year’s Gujarat elections “historic and unprecedented”, about the Himachal elections — which BJP lost to Congress — Nadda said “our effort to change the rivaj (tradition of alternate party in power) of Himachal did not succeed. We lost with only a small margin of 1 per cent votes. Earlier, this difference used to be five per cent or more”.
Interestingly, both Sitharaman and Prasad said that the resolution was silent on the subject of Nadda’s tenure as BJP president, which is set to end this month, and no discussion on it was held on the first day of the BJP national executive meeting.
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Lauding Modi
The BJP, which won 303 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, has set a target of 350 seats in next year’s polls. The party has drawn up a list of 160 seats where it feels its hold to be weak, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit 11 states this month as part of a programme to focus on such seats.
While the party’s loss in Himachal and doubts about the possible outcome of this year’s assembly elections in Karnataka have pushed the BJP to redraw its campaign strategy, the focus on the PM’s image is part of the game plan, as Modi’s image is the party’s most credible asset, said party leaders.
“On the global stage due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts, India’s image has been enhanced, whether it be in the G20 (presidency), or the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (chairmanship) or the UN Security Council short-term leadership, branding of India has emboldened,” said Sitharaman
She added: “Prime Minister Modi’s assertion that this is not an era of war during his telephonic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin echoed in the G-20 declaration at Bali.”
The Prime Minister was also praised by Nadda in his address to the BJP National Executive, who lauded the economic advances made by the country under Modi, those present at the meeting told ThePrint.
According to senior party leaders, planned investment in G20 events was a brand-building initiative by the BJP, as heads of various countries are expected to participate in the September summit. “Indians feel proud when global leaders acknowledge our leadership. It will help us in our domestic electoral campaign,” said a BJP leader.
The party has also chosen the subjects ‘vishwa guru Bharat’, ‘India as cultural samvahak (carrier or ambassador)’, ‘seva va samarpan (service and dedication)’, and ‘sangharsh se siddhi (from struggle to fulfillment)’ are themes of an exhibition at the meeting venue to highlight the achievements of the Modi government.
Displays recall how the UN in 2014 declared 21 June International Day of Yoga following a proposal from the PM Modi, the rescuing of Indian students from Ukraine following the breakout of the Russia-Ukraine war, the supplying of Covid vaccines by India and monetary aid to Sri Lanka as the neighbouring country grappled with a crisis.
The presentation also claims that the Indian government is not just bringing out cultural renaissance in the country, but making efforts for cultural renaissance in the world, citing the Centre’s help in restoring the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia and building temples in UAE and Bahrain.
The Prime Minister has also been praised by the party for India’s advances in space technology in the past few years.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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