BENGALURU, Jan 3: BJP National President Amit Shah today defended his party’s campaign ‘Congress free Bharat’ saying that it was not against the federal structure and the party has all the right to launch such a program.
Speaking at a press conference here, Mr Shah said that the campaign has begun well by winning Assembly elections held after coming to power at the Center and it will next happen in Karnataka as well.
‘This is not to remove Congress party from the country. We want to remove it from power in all places. The Congress leaders will sit in the opposition, they will not go away. But it is our right,’ he added.
He said the party had launched a mega membership drive since November 1 last year to take its membership base up to 10 crore from the present 2.95 crore. In this the party would have one crore members in Karnataka, who will work hard to remove Congress party from power.
Mr Shah arrived here on a two-day visit to Karnataka to give impetus to the three-month ‘Maha Abhiyan’ in Karnataka. The BJP Chief said the BJP campaign was not against removing regional parties from the scene. These parties are welcome and they will survive as long as people support them. ‘I feel Janata Parivar coming together makes little difference. This is because Janata is distancing and only Parivar is left now. I wish them good luck,’ he said taking a dig at former Janata Party leaders like Mulayam Singh, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav. Regarding formation of the State Government in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Shah said the BJP had kept all its options open (in forming the state government). ‘In Kashmir, we are examining all options. I am hopeful of a solution that will be arrived at soon,’ he said.
When asked whether National Conference leader Omer Abdulla was trying to bring together a non-BJP government, Mr Shah said, ‘You think Mr Omar Abdulla is telling truth’?
Mr Shah maintained that the ‘Ghar Vapsi’ program, that had created a major controversy, was not a BJP program. He said the BJP was against ‘forced conversions’ of people from one community to the other. ‘The BJP led government in the Center want to bring a statute to ban forced conversions. But the so called secular parties have not come forward to support the government in bringing such law.
‘None of these secular parties have come forward. But I am hopeful that the government gets support to pass this Bill. BJP wants no community to indulge in forceful conversions,’ he said. On violation of cease fire by Pakistan, the BJP Chief said he did not want to speak much but, ‘The Indian armed forces had been giving a fitting reply and aggressive repulse to any such attempts will continue’.
On price rise, Mr Shah maintained that prices of essential commodities was indeed coming down and it would ease further. ‘I do not agree that prices are not coming down despite fall in inflation and oil prices after formation of Narendra Modi government. There is indeed a downward trend. The monsoon this year had not been good in all regions. But prices are coming down due to various steps taken by the Government,’ he said.
Mr Shah said that Mr Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign will be a big success and will ensure creation of large number of jobs and ease the unemployment problem in the country. ‘The Modi government has established good governance to remove ‘policy peralisis’ the country suffered under 10 years of UPA rule.
The process of decision-making, the government employees were a enthused lot and working hard which is a drastic change from the past,’ he said. (UNI)
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