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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday underlined his “uncompromising” stance against corruption, telling the BJP national executive that “I have no relatives and no one will be spared”.
Briefing the media about Modi’s valedictory address to the party’s extended national executive session, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the PM situated the BJP at the cusp of the nation’s hopes and aspirations.
He said the collective strength of the participants in the meeting — 13 Chief Ministers, 6 Deputy CMs, 60 Union Ministers, 232 State Ministers, 151 MLAs and MLCs and 334 MPs — symbolised the political import of the BJP.
But this position of strength is to be applied towards taking the BJP “beyond elections” to “turn it into an instrument of mass participation, to improve quality of life”, Jaitley quoted the Prime Minister as having said.
‘Proactive implementation’
Elaborating, the FM said the success of any policy initiative depended on the pro-activeness of the elected representatives. Citing the Swachch Bharat programme as an instance of participatory democracy, the PM urged the party delegates to take policy initiatives on health, immunisation, rural electrification, etc to the people through simple messages and popular idiom.
Jaitley said the PM highlighted the government’s success in combating poverty through Direct Benefit Transfer of different subsidies, on fighting terrorism by ensuring the deportation of 90 hardcore terrorists from other countries and ensuring transparency in governance. But his toughest message was towards fighting corruption.
“My battle against corruption is uncompromising. Nobody will escape. No one will be spared. I have no relatives,” the Jaitley quoted Modi as saying.
The Finance Minister also strongly countered the criticism mounted by the Opposition, especially his predecessor P Chidambaram, who had earlier tweeted: “The BJP national executive’s support to demonetisation is utter contempt of public opinion. The BJP national executive supported implementation of GST. They should talk to traders and businessmen in their own party.”
In his response, Jaitley said: “When the Congress was in power between 2004-2014, they did not take a single step against black money and corruption. It was never a part of the UPA’s agenda. We, on the other hand, have taken a series of steps including demonetisation. Those who are at the receiving end of this drive will obviously respond in a certain way. I don’t expect them to support these measures.”
He said the PM had also said that the Opposition, in its criticism, employed bitter language. “They do not know how to be constructive in opposition. Sometimes very harsh words are used when there is no concrete criticism. But harsh language cannot be a substitute for substantive criticism of the government,” Jaitley said, quoting the PM.
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