Bhubaneswar:
The people of Bihar rejected “goonda raj” and voted for development in the recent state polls, BJP president J P Nadda said on Tuesday.
BJPs victory in Bihar Assembly election also reflected peoples endorsement of Narendra Modi governments COVID-19 management strategy which not only addressed health issues but looked after the economy and livelihood of people too, he said.
The BJP chief, who inaugurated six party offices in Odisha, asserted that the voters in Bihar gave their “stamp of approval” to the development agenda of the Modi government at the Centre though people spoke about casteism and dividing the society.
Stressing that Prime Minister Modi has gifted the country with a culture of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka viswas’, Nadda said the people of Bihar, particularly the youth and women, put their stamp of approval to this.
“In the Bihar polls and by-elections in several states, BJP performed well as people showered their blessings on the party. They strongly supported Narendra Modi’s policy of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ (with all, development for all),” he said.
In Bihar, BJP won 74 of the 110 seats it fought achieving a strike rate of 67 per cent.
Stating that many issues including COVID-19 management and problems of migrant labourers were raked up in the run up to the state elections, Nadda said people endorsed the efficient manner in which the BJP-led government at the Centre is handling these.
The new offices inaugurated by Nadda are located in Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Baripada, Sundergarh and Bargarh.
The foundation stones for the party offices were laid in April 2018 by the then BJP chief Amit Shah.
Work for six other new party offices in Odisha will start soon, Nadda announced and said those inaugurated during the day are equipped with all modern facilities such as conference halls, meeting halls, e-library and digital facilities.
“Only BJP gives priority to even the construction of party offices. Some parties run offices from home. Therefore, they become a family party,” he said in an apparent swipe at the Congress.
“For us, our party is our family, while some others use their family as the party,” the BJP chief said.
Nadda said that BJP had prepared an ambitious plan to construct over 700 party offices across the country after Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. AAround 400 of them are ready, while work is in progress for 200 others and the process of land acquisition is on for the rest.
“The party office is not just a structure or a building. It is the center of its tradition and culture. It is a place for inculcating culture and imparting informal training to the party cadres. It functions as a source of major inspiration and contributes immensely in connecting to the party,” he said.
The BJP president said that COVID-19 management had become a major issue in the US presidential elections too and despite having a robust healthcare infrastructure, the people of that country found themselves helpless in dealing with the pandemic. But the Modi Government prepared India to fight it efficiently to save its 130 crore people.
Following timely steps taken by the Centre, the country now has the capacity to conduct 15 lakh coronavirus tests daily, 4.5 lakh dedicated beds for patients of the disease and over three lakh ventilators. Besides, the country now produces over 4.5 lakh PPEs daily, many of which are exported.
The fatality rate has been kept well under control due to proper steps taken by the Centre, Nadda said.
The Centre has also addressed economic issues effectively by unveiling a slew of measures, including a Rs 20 lakh crore ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ package during the COVID-19 crisis.
Livelihood of people has been taken care of by implementing schemes like the Garib Kalyan Yojana, while LPG cylinders were provided to eight crore women. Twenty crore women were given Rs 500 each for three months and widows and divyangs Rs 1000 each, he said adding the measures were appreciated by the UN and director general of WHO.
While a second instalment of Rs 17000 crore will be released for the farmers soon, Rs three lakh crore has been earmarked for the revival of the MSME sector, the BJP president said.
Referring to Odisha, he said the state unit of BJP can work as a facilitator for a programme being taken up in Ganjam, Balangir, Balasore and Bhadrak districts to provide local job opportunities to migrant workers.
The BJP chief expressed optimism that the party has ample prospects for forming government in the state as the workers are working hard with dedication.
He asked party workers to make concerted efforts with enthusiasm and said We are very close to accomplishing the mission. I hope BJP will be able to form a government in Odisha soon. We will strengthen the party with our ideology and Modi Ji and his vision.
BJP, he said, had won 11 of the 33 tribal Assembly seats in Odisha in 2019 polls. The vote share has increased to 32 per cent from 18 per cent in the Assembly elections, while it has jumped to 38 per cent compared to 21 per cent in 2014.
Taking a swipe at the Odisha government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, he said it should accept the healthcare scheme as it will benefit a large number of poor people in the state.
Stressing that the Modi government is keen to ensure speedy development of Odisha, Nadda said six medical colleges and many developmental projects including the coastal highway and railway projects are being implemented in the state.
