BJP leader optimistic of party’s chances, in a speech in New Jersey.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW YORK: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will come to power at the center after the 2014 elections in India, said the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha and a senior member of BJP, Arun Jaitley, speaking at a meet organized by the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) – USA, in Edison, New Jersey.
“India is undergoing a transition period for the last two decades; confidence emerged after the economy was opened that unleashed an enormous energy effectively showcasing India to the rest of the world,” said Jaitley, speaking at the meet, recently.
Jaitley said that for the past five years, India has been losing direction because of UPA government’s poor governance and massive corruption, leading to the Nehru era’s growth rate of slightly above 3% and equaling Somalia’s growth rate. He said that in contrast, during NDA government’s tenure, India achieved a growth rate in the range of 7-10%.
Jaitley said that a Prime Minister in a democracy should lead from the front, be decisive and strong, but in the case of the UPA government, it’s the opposite: it haplessly watches as his own party vice president derides cabinet decisions that too when he is in foreign shores, referring to Rahul Gandhi trashing an ordinance that the Cabinet had approved. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on a visit to the US at that time.
“An economist Prime Minister diverts funds to burdensome populist programs with an eye on vote banks caring less for the economy of the country,” said Jaitley. “Foreign policy is direction-less with neither established policy nor strategy. Today, India’s neighborhood has become dangerous with Pakistan and China making incursions at will. We share a porous border with Bangladesh which also adds to our woes with illegal immigration,” he said.
Jaitley said that a systematic misuse of government agencies such as CBI has become a norm to use against political opponents and allies alike. He said that there is unease everywhere and people are frustrated and are looking for change.
Jaitley said that once BJP and NDA come to power, they would work hard to power the economy, and improve the internal and external security situation.
Earlier, President of the OFBJP, Jayesh Patel, in his welcome address said that India is now chanting “NaMo mantra” and expressed confidence that ‘Mission 2014: BJP272+’ will be accomplished and “Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister of India.”
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