Reach out to minorities, marginalised, India’s best era coming: PM to party

The two-day meeting, convened to discuss the party’s strategy for the upcoming elections, ended on Tuesday.

Briefing mediapersons on Modi’s address, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said: “The Prime Minister said we need to sensitively reach out to all sections of society. He said that while doing so, we don’t need to think of votes only. We need to keep working for all sections of society”.

This is in line with his speech at the BJP national executive in Hyderabad last July, where Modi had urged the party to reach out to the marginalised among the minorities, such as Pasmanda Muslims, and to find ways to work with the Christian community in Kerala. The BJP had then launched an outreach programme for Pasmanda Muslims in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, to ensure that the Centre’s schemes reach them.

Asked about the party’s outreach programmes for Pasmanda Muslims, Fadnavis said: “The Prime Minister said our development journey will not be completed till the marginalised are mainstreamed. He spoke about reaching out to all sections of society and said only 400 days are left for elections, so we must use this time to work for the marginalised sections.”

Modi told party leaders that the BJP is no longer just a political movement, but it is a social movement as well, working to transform socio-economic conditions, said Fadnavis.

“His address was inspiring, it gave direction and showed the way and vision for the future. He said the best era for India is coming and we should not shy away from working as hard as we can. So that we can be witness to this golden period and turn ‘amrit kaal’, the 25-year-period till 2047, into ‘kartavya kaal’ (era of duties),” said Fadnavis, adding that it was “more like a statesman’s speech, not like a politician’s address.”

Sources said Modi also cautioned the party against any sense of “over-confidence” and cited an example of the BJP’s loss in Madhya Pradesh in 1998 despite the unpopularity of the then Congress government led by Digvijaya Singh. Modi was then a key minder of the BJP’s organisational affairs in the state.

In his address, Modi also said that people in the 18-25 years age group have not witnessed the political history of India and are not aware of the “corruption and wrongdoings” that took place under previous governments. “So they need to be made aware. Let them know about the good governance of the BJP,” he told the party.
Fadnavis said Modi also advised the party to conduct special programmes of its different morchas, especially in border villages, so that it can connect with the people there and ensure that the government’s developmental schemes reach them.

“The Prime Minister’s speech was inspirational. It guided us as well as showed us a new roadmap. He asked us to dedicate every moment of our life to advance the country’s development. Only by converting the amrit kaal into kartavya kaal, can the country be taken forward,” said Fadnavis.

Modi also raised the issue of environment conservation, and instructed party workers to carry out a ‘Dharti Bachao’ campaign, on the lines of the ‘Beti Bachao’ campaign.

Earlier in the day, a decision was taken to extend the term of party chief J P Nadda till June 2024. Announcing the “unanimous” decision, Home Minister Amit Shah said Nadda has “transformed the charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi into a mandate for the BJP”.