Putting aside its internal squabbles, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday presented a united front while welcoming the party's working president Jagat Prakash Nadda, who is visiting his home town in Bilaspur for three days.
Nadda flew to Anandpur Sahib with chief minister Jai Ram Thakur from Delhi in the morning and paid obeisance at the Naina Devi Shrine before addressing the rally. Nadda received a rousing welcome at Bilaspur.
The BJP top brass, including state party chief Satpal Singh Satti, Union minister of state for finance and corporate affairs Anurag Thakur and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal attended the rally. However, former chief minister Shanta Kumar was conspicuous by his absence.
Speakers at the ‘Abhinandan rally’ sang paeans for Nadda, who in turn credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union home minister Amit Shah for setting new bench marks of development in the country and strengthening the party.
“Today, the canvas of the BJP is vast and therefore it is the responsibility of every party worker to take care of it,” said Nadda. He enumerated the achievements of the Modi government after it took reins in May this year.
Lauding abrogation of Article 370, Nadda said, “The world has acknowledged the strong and able leadership of India. It was under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Article 370 was abrogated in J&K, paving way for ‘one nation, one Constitution’. The article was a hurdle in the development of Jammu and Kashmir.”
{{/usCountry}}Lauding abrogation of Article 370, Nadda said, “The world has acknowledged the strong and able leadership of India. It was under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Article 370 was abrogated in J&K, paving way for ‘one nation, one Constitution’. The article was a hurdle in the development of Jammu and Kashmir.”
{{/usCountry}}He said, “People from West Pakistan who settled in India such as Inder Kumar Gujral and Manmohan Singh, could become Prime Ministers in India but those who settled in J&K could not even become councillors,” he said adding, “LK Advani, who settled in India after Partition, also became the country’s deputy Prime Minister.”
Nadda said Modi had ensured that politics was aimed at serving the nation and its people and that India was poised to emerge as New India under the BJP, which had has become synonymous with development.
He also gave a clarion call to BJP workers asking them to make India Congress-free in the next 25 years.
In the course of his speech, he dwelt on the NDA’s contribution to Himachal Pradesh and congratulated chief minister Jai Ram Thakur for his initiative.
The CM expressed his gratitude to the people for the record win in the Lok sabha elections where the party secured a lead in all the 68 assembly segments.
“India is poised to emerge as a world power under the dynamic leadership of Narendra Modi,” he said.
Anurag Thakur described Nadda’s elevation to working president of the party as an honour for Himachal. “India has emerged a strong and vibrant nation under the charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The government has simplified the tax procedure in the country thereby benefiting crores of tax payers,” he added.
Former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal also addressed the gathering. State party chief Satpal Singh Satti said Nadda had held several offices in different capacities ever since his student days.