New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief ministers to focus on improving people’s lives through the speedy implementation of the government’s flagship schemes and realising the vision of ‘Viksit States’, according to people aware of the matter.
Modi was speaking Saturday at the first meeting of the party’s chief ministers and deputy CMs after the Lok Sabha elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda were also present.
With a post on X after attending the meeting, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also signalled his continuity in office amid rumblings in the party following the setback in the Lok Sabha polls and friction with his two deputy CMS.
According to BJP leaders who attended the meeting at the party headquarters in New Delhi, Modi said, ““The full benefits of the schemes should go to the people. Work on it and ensure it.”
The leaders added that while major matters of the organisation did not figure in the meeting, there was a push for better synergy between the party and the government for improved governance. Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah gave instructions on the speedy implementation of ongoing flagship schemes as well as new schemes launched in state budgets and the Union Budget. Good governance cells were told to monitor the progress of implementation regularly, the sources added.
Some states were also encouraged to implement schemes that have performed well in other states. The Maharashtra government’s Ladki Bahin Yojana, modelled on the popular Ladli Behna Yojana introduced by the erstwhile Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh, was cited as an example.
In a post on X after the meeting, Modi wrote that the party was “working tirelessly to further good governance and fulfil the aspirations of the people”.
Met @BJP4India Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers. Our Party is working tirelessly to further good governance and fulfil the aspirations of the people. pic.twitter.com/8vy6vzZSFe
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2024
Yogi Adityanath, in his post on X, wrote: “Under the leadership of the prime minister, the journey to build a strong and self-reliant Uttar Pradesh with the mantra of security, good governance and welfare of the poor continues unabated.”
आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी और माननीय राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री @JPNadda जी की गरिमामयी उपस्थिति में आज नई दिल्ली स्थित भाजपा मुख्यालय पर आयोजित 'मुख्यमंत्री परिषद' की बैठक में सम्मिलित हुआ।
प्रधानमंत्री जी के नेतृत्व में सुरक्षा, सुशासन और गरीब-कल्याण के मंत्र के साथ… pic.twitter.com/snljvWza9r
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) July 27, 2024
Though the BJP formed a government at the Centre with its NDA partners, the party failed to garner a majority in the polls which saw its tally drop from 303 in 2029 to 240 in 2024. The loss of seats in Uttar Pradesh, from 62 in 2019 to 33 in 2024, in particular is believed to have contributed to the reduction of its numbers in the lower House.
According to people aware of the matter, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who is at loggerheads with his two deputy chief ministers, had already briefed the BJP high command on the reasons behind the party’s dismal election performance during his meeting with national general secretary B.L. Santosh Friday. The CM has not met the prime minister separately and only had brief exchanges with him during the BJP meeting, they said.
While the Centre is not very enthusiastic about making any changes in UP leadership, the absence of the deputy CMs — Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak — from various meetings led the by chief minister has not gone down well before the BJP leadership, they said. The call for better synergy at Saturday’s meeting was directed at the differences between the leaders.
Also read: Eye on Nitish, BJP’s stake, Modi govt gives Bihar Rs 58,000-cr-plus infra bonanza in budget
CMs submit progress reports
At the meeting Saturday, many CMs also submitted reports on the progress of the best-performing governance schemes in their states. For instance, Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma is learnt to have talked about the construction of Rs 35,000 crore of water supply assets and 13,000 new SSA classrooms. He also spoke about efforts to bring 81,000 students back to school, to build a renewable energy capacity of 3000 MW, and to skill the workforce to meet employment challenges.
Yogi talked about the state’s 351 best practices, including providing over 56 lakh poor and homeless families pucca houses, Mission Shakti, School Chalo Abhiyan, Operation Kayakalp, Massive Tree Plantation Public Campaign, and Matribhoomi Yojana.
Modi also asked all the CMs to apprise people of the various welfare and development schemes implemented by the government. “In a democracy, people are everything. In such a situation, it is very important to take care of the interest of public. There should be no laxity in implementing developmental schemes,” said the PM, according to senior BJP leaders who requested anonymity.
Emphasising the need to ensure ease of doing business, Modi highlighted several initiatives introduced by his government, including the PM Awas Yojana, PM SVANidhi Yojana and Nal Se Jal scheme.
Focus on assembly polls
With an eye on the upcoming assembly polls in the crucial states of Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand and the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP’s focus is now on addressing the concerns of the youth, farmers and the middle classes, according to a central party functionary.
That is why the government, which had been more evasive on the job crisis and unemployment, featured the issues prominently in its first Union Budget in Modi’s third term, presented last week. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned employment and youth in her budget speech more than 20 times.
The BJP is also pushing the saturation of welfare schemes, a term first mentioned in its 2023 national executive meeting, especially in order to rural and youth unemployment challenges. During the meeting, the prime minister asked chief ministers to use at least one key scheme of the budget each to address four segments of society: the poor, farmers, youth and women.
“He (PM Modi) called upon every BJP-headed government to carve a niche for itself in some or the other sector of governance. He urged governments to accord topmost priority to ease of living,” said one party leader present during the meeting.
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami were among the other leaders in attendance, along with several deputy chief ministers including Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Keshav Maurya and Brajesh Pathak from UP, and Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha from Bihar.
The two-day meeting ends Sunday.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also read: UP to Maharashtra, why BJP hasn’t had in-charges in several big states for more than a year