The Asian Age

PM urges partymen to be responsibl­e

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New Delhi, April 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday underlined the support the BJP had received from backward sections of the society by noting that it had the maximum number of elected legislator­s from OBC, dalit and tribal communitie­s, and asserted that its reach was no longer confined to a particular class, urban centres or north India.

Mr Modi has also asked party leaders to refrain from making “irresponsi­ble” statements, saying their responsibi­lity has risen as public support has increased for the BJP.

His comments, made during an interactio­n with the party’s MPs, MLAs and other representa­tives through his mobile applicatio­n, assume significan­ce in the wake of Opposition parties’ attempts to put up a united front against the saffron party over dalit issues and also criticism of some BJP leaders for making irresponsi­ble statements.

A BJP release quoted Mr Modi as saying that the party has managed to win over support of the rural masses as he also made a reference to the party’s win in local polls in Jharkhand.

He also asked MPs and MLAs to take a resolve to solve four to five problems of the villages falling in their respective constituen­cies as he issued them several instructio­ns to observe the ongoing “Gram Swaraj” campaign between April 14 and May 5.

The BJP has not come to power due to mistakes of the Congress but because it has always stayed connected to the people and now their job in power is to solve problems facing the masses, Mr Modi said.

The perception about the BJP that it was a party of a particular class and

BJP’s reach no longer confined to a particular class, urban centres or north India Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

urban centres or north India has changed and it has emerged as an “alltouchin­g and all- inclusive” organisati­on, he said.

“Our mass base is increasing among all sections of the society and this is our biggest asset,” the party statement quoted him as saying.

Mr Modi asked party leaders and workers to use technology a lot to link villages to developmen­t works.

Taking on the criticism that his government had not created enough jobs, he said lifestyle and sources of livelihood have changed in villages as he emphasised his government’s efforts to boost self- employment.

Those doing politics over employment figure may do so but the government will provide the masses with self- employment opportunit­ies by developing skills of the youth, he said.

Mr Modi asked party workers to work to spread harmony in villages and bring developmen­t to the poor, farmers, dalits and tribals. Talking of his government’s ambitious health insurance scheme, ‘ Ayushmaan Bharat’, he said wellness centres will be built in over 1.5 lakh panchayats by 2022 with the programme aiming to cover 10 crore families with a cover of `` 5 lakh.

He also made a mention of several of his government’s welfare schemes aimed at farmers, youths and women among others and asked his party’s lawmakers to spread their reach.

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