BJP is doing well, gaining in each state
STRAIGHT TALK We have not tried to remove any apprehension... We never looked at voters on the basis of religion; we are the ones who are opposing appeasement, says BJP national president Amit Shah
NEW DELHI: In a free-wheeling interview with
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah spoke on a range of issues – from the polls in the north-east to the jobs crisis in the country to the party’s approach to the 2019 Parliamentary elections.
Shishir Gupta and DK Singh, excerpts: Edited
about the future. The youth didn’t know in which direction the country was heading. Women were not safe. Borders were not safe. The country’s standing before the world had come down. There was policy paralysis in the government. There was no chain of command.
In the six years of the last government, there were eight occasions when the growth rate fell to 5.7% or below (checking this). There was a time when India was made part of a new group in the global economy. It was not like G-7, G-8 or G-20. The new group’s name was Fragile Five. After three-and-a-half years, the entire world is looking at India with hope because of Modiji.
All economic figures under Modiji’s leadership of the government and Arunji’s leadership of the department of finance are on track, whether it’s fiscal deficit or trade deficit, inflation… the Sensex is touching the sky. Today we are one of the two or three fastest growing economies of the world. India has become a good destination for investment. When UPA II left, in 2013-14, foreign exchange reserve was $294.4 billion, which has crossed $402 billion now. The UPA government built 69 km roads every day in 2013-14; in 2016-17, 130 km roads are being constructed every day. In 2014, the aam aadmi was getting a home loan at 10-12% interest rate; it’s available at 8-9% now. This is a sensitive and transparent government. Be it GST or demonetisation or surgical strike, be it one rank one pension, we took decisions without fear. That’s why the mood has changed. understand. Democracy has matured. We have replied in every election that, after the court verdict, a grand Ram temple will be built there. We haven’t taken any decision on this. What we have decided on triple talaq is also stalled in the Rajya Sabha due to the Congress’s objection. Our endeavour will be that it becomes a law in the next session. The Congress doesn’t want the triple talaq law to be passed. Earlier also, the Congress brought a law to negate the apex court’s judgement in the Shah Bano case. Naturally, it is on the north-east. These three states are important to us. In all three states, our main aim is to register the BJP’S presence, to form our governments.
I believe we will form the government in Tripura. We are already in Nagaland. The Congress will be ousted from Meghalaya. I think it’s better than having nothing. At least we can say that the positive impact has been an end to bloodshed. When there is time for giving details of the agreement, the government will do it because, ultimately, it has to be implemented in Nagaland and in the adjoining states.
No, we will go alone in Karnataka. The BJP will contest every seat. much uproar. Let one of them stand up and say the agriculture growth rate in their state is 15 per cent. I have seven such states. Kuchh hai bhi toh main thode hi bata doonga. (If there is something, will I tell you?). It doesn’t work like that. Both matters are in the court. As far as Jay (Shah) is concerned, we have gone to the court. Our stand is dispose it of immediately. People should know before the 2019 elections what the truth is. As for the Loya case, I don’t want to comment because I have nothing to do with this case and it is pending in the Supreme Court.
All economists have to understand one thing that India is not Yugoslavia, Romania, England or Italy. It’s a country of 125 crore people, and if you want to give jobs to 60 crore people, the government can do nothing else. We will have to look for different ways in consonance with our country’s problems. For this, we have prepared the youth through skill development, following which many people got jobs. We have taken it forward through the Startup and Stand Up schemes... No other government made such efforts