Rahul the symbol of dynastic politics: Shah

The BJP on Monday hurled barbs at Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, terming him the ‘unmeritorious symbol of dynastic politics’, maintaining that a prolonged tenure for him would in fact translate into better fortunes for the ruling party.

The BJP’s extended national executive meeting witnessed a staunch defence of the government’s overall performance and policy initiatives and also a sharp attack at the Opposition, particularly the Congress and its Vice-President, and also the Left for its practice of “political violence” in Kerala.

The BJP’s political resolution lauded the Centre’s performance on the economy, describing GST as the “biggest reform since Independence”, and also its record on internal security, and on external threats, specifically the resolution of the Doklam stand-off with China. It also detailed a vision for “New India – 2022”.

Briefing the media after Shah’s address, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said: “In our view, the longer Rahul Gandhi continues the better it is for us. Our party president has given a befitting reply to him with facts and figures. He (Rahul Gandhi) should answer what the Congress has given the country apart from scams amounting to ₹12,000 crore and a politics of appeasement.”

“The BJP believes in the politics of performance and is oriented to improving people’s lives through governance. That is why the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister, and the Speaker are all people who have made it to these posts on the basis of merit,” Goyal said, quoting Shah.

Reacting to Shah’s remarks, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “Before pointing fingers at others, the BJP chief should first look within.”

“We would like to ask those who talk about dynasty politics that if BJP does not believe in dynasties, what are the sons of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Raman Singh doing in the Lok Sabha,” he asked.

Shah announced a fortnight long campaign between October 3 and 17 in Kerala to protest against political violence allegedly by the Left-led government in the State. West Bengal and Kerala were clearly flagged as areas where the BJP sought to increase its footprint and both Opposition-led State governments were criticised by the BJP chief for turning a blind eye to political violence.

West Bengal and the Left-ruled Tripura and Kerala were underlined in the BJP’s political resolution as areas where “political violence, the curse of democracy” is being encouraged by the ruling Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M) respectively.

“The violence against our karyakartas (activists) by opposition party workers in Tripura, Kerala and West Bengal is disheartening and against the democratic ethos of the nation. In the last 14 months, 14 of our karyakartas were brutally killed in Kerala. The national executive strongly condemns the violence,” said the political resolution.

The BJP chief also gave details of his organisational tour, of up to 110 days that he undertook after the last national executive of the party in Bhubaneswar.

Out of 9,60,000 polling booths across the country, the party has managed to deploy its own workers in 7,63,947. The BJP National Executive also thanked the 4,600 full-time workers who spent six months in various States for this purpose.