Victory in Lok Sabha elections
The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) polled 31 per cent votes in these elections, which is the highest poll percentage by any non-Congress party in India's electoral history. We have established new electoral benchmarks creating history by winning all the Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Goa and the union territories of Dadra Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Chandigarh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Our performance is commendable in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. As far as the vote percentage is concerned, we have crossed the 50 per cent mark in Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. We have presence in the Lok Sabha from all over the country.
The mandate was so decisive in our favour that it reduced the Congress tally below the required mark to become a recognised opposition party in the Lok Sabha. It is noteworthy that the 130-year-old Congress failed to open its account in 14 states and six union territories.
The BJP has expanded its base among the youth, women, SCs, STs and backward communities as well. Our taking over the reins of power at the Centre is of great historic significance.
Our traditions
It is in this backdrop that I am taking the reins of leadership of the party. A prosperous India and a cohesive society is our ultimate goal. Translating the concept of Antyodaya as propounded by Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay and others into reality is our final destination. Our party has a rich tradition of grass root work. Many of us have seen the pictures where a leader no less than Atal ji serving food to the delegates at party conventions. For decades, it was Advani ji who used to undertake the thankless job of documentation of party papers. From Kushabhau Thakre to Nitin Gadkari, all have risen to the top from the grass roots. The rise of Narendra Modi to the highest position in our democracy, beginning as a grass root organiser and belonging to an economically backward family, is also in keeping with this tradition.
Ideology is our foundation
Any organisation that forgets its past can never build its future. How can we forget that it was ideology that shaped the events in 1951 when the Jana Sangh was founded, or in 1980 when the emergence of the BJP marked our rebirth? Our very existence is for our ideology. Our journey from the foundation of the Jana Sangh till date had three distinct segments. From 1951 to 1980, we braved political opposition. Thereafter, we had a decade of growing acceptance. Post 1990, we were recognised as a political force, and now after 2014, the era of political impact has dawned. This journey was far from easy. The sacrifice of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia, Kushabhau Thakre, Sunder Singh Bhandari, Nanaji Deshmukh, Jagannathrao Joshi, Mahavir Tyagi as also Atal ji and Advani ji among others, has greatly contributed in this journey. Now that we are in power, we have to dexterously run the government and also conduct our party.
Focus on election manifesto
We have to understand that the entire emphasis of the Congress-UPA government was on entitlement-based policies. They believed in entitlement first and empowerment later. In our thinking, empowerment has to come first and entitlement would naturally follow. We do believe that people have right to good governance. But more importantly, first and foremost it is the duty of the government to give good governance. Using Rights as a vote catching gimmick is just unacceptable to us.
Challenges Of Assembly elections
Winning the ensuing Assembly elections may be our immediate priority. But our long term objective is to provide good governance to the entire country. Our foremost commitment should be to return BJP to power in the election-bound states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand.
Besides, there are eight more states where we need to re-capture power. We must form our governments whenever elections are held in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Arunanchal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Also, we will have to make special efforts to win elections and form our governments in states like Assam, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamilnadu where we have polled significant percentage of votes.
Integral Humanism
In the year ahead, we will be celebrating the silver jubilee of Integral Humanism. Year 2015 marks the centenary year of our ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. This provides us with an opportunity to once again enlighten the masses about our principles and policies. The twin-celebrations will also be an occasion for all of us to further dedicate ourselves to Integral Humanism and reach out to the people propagating the basic tenets of Deendayal ji's philosophy in all its manifestations.
Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Lok Sabha election campaign, had given a clarion call of Congress Mukt Bharat. What he meant was freeing India from corruption and bad governance. But a Congress-free India can become a reality only if we ensure the BJP's victory in every part of the country.
Edited excerpts from the English translation of newly-appointed BJP President Amit Shah's speech at BJP National Council meeting at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, August 9, 2014