BJP’s national executive hails Modi’s vaccine success, skips farmers’ protest, CAA

The BJP national executive met for the first time in two years and passed a ‘political resolution’ with a view to ensure party’s victory in the upcoming assembly elections in seven states.

The 18-point resolution was tabled by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was the only CM from BJP-ruled states to physically attend the meeting, held at the NDMC convention centre in New Delhi on Sunday (November 7).

The resolution mostly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and termed the opposition parties as “opportunists” for acting with “extreme hate”.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took on the opposition for calling India’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign as “Modi ka vaccine”. She said it was disheartening to hear this at a time when the Prime Minister is working tirelessly for establishing India on the international platform. “Opposition parties never hit the road during the pandemic and confined themselves to Twitter to spread suspicion,” Sitharaman said.

The focus of the one-day meeting, however, was the upcoming Assembly elections. Yogi Adityanath, who will test his fortunes once again in the UP polls next year, gave a presentation on his government’s achievements. The chief ministers and BJP presidents of other poll-bound states like Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab too were given a chance to lay down their roadmap for the elections ahead.

The statement slammed Trinamool Congress in Bengal for “instigating violence” against BJP workers in the state and took a pledge to seek justice through lawful means.

Modi’s five commitments made at COP26, the ongoing climate summit in Glasgow, received a special praise in the resolution. It said the government under Modi has provided a “corruption-free government since 2014”.

On Jammu Kashmir, the resolution quoted development activities carried out recently and successful conduct of local body elections to say that the troubled state has finally ushered in a chapter of “security, peace and development”.

On surging fuel prices, the party admired PM Modi’s decision to cut excise duty and said the states ruled by NDA too backed his decision by reducing state taxes on petrol and diesel in the interest of the common man.

Modi’s pet project, ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’, too was hailed for bringing “normalcy back to economy” at a time when other countries were struggling to control debt.

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In agriculture, the resolution highlighted release of new varieties of crops, farm credit, PM-KISAN scheme, kisan rail among others.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav briefed on the developments in the climate summit in Glasgow and the government’s efforts in that direction. Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke on the vaccination programme and the minister of state Information Technology Rajiv Chandrashekhar spoke on the economy.

The political resolution, however, chose to remain silent on the ongoing farmers’ protest with regards to the contentious central laws, CAA and the border dispute with China.

CAA got a passing reference in BJP president J P Nadda’s speech, who appreciated Modi’s “farsightedness” in introducing the Act when the Taliban has gained controlled of Afghanistan.

Nadda said the BJP’s “peak had not come yet” and cited the example of the party’s growth in Bengal to prove his point.

When asked about the Centre’s stand on farmers’ protests, Sitharaman said the Union government is always willing to talk to farmer unions and asked them to submit list of their grievances on the three laws.

Addressing the valedictory session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of the BJP’s performance in the recent by-polls and expressed hope that the coming polls too will bring success to the party.

Veteran party leaders L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi and CMs of BJP-ruled states, except Adityanath, joined the meeting virtually from their respective places.