BJP veterans thrilled by party's grand show in city

Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veterans in the state are happy with the strong show that the party got together at the Bandra Kurla Complex on Friday marking the party’s 38th Foundation Day.

BJP veterans expressed satisfaction over the consolidation of the party’s cadres. Not long ago, in 2009, the BJP was considered as weak in the state in terms of electoral performance, impact on the state’s polity and cadre-strength. But after the party-led government came to power in 2014, the BJP has seemingly established a strong presence across the state’s length and breadth, the party veterans said.

“When I was a member of parliament, the party was too small in comparison to today. But what we learned from our leaders is discipline. I believe it is now proving that this discipline to the core of the party has brought it to power today,” said Jagannath Patil, a former MP. Mr Patil represented the old Thane constituency in the Lok Sabha.

The party leaders who have seen the rise of the party from its small beginnings are happy now. They feel that groundwork of three generations of party cadre has brought these ‘achhe din’ (good days). The Friday rally was in a way a proof of the party’s spreading wings on the state’s political sky.

BJP spokesperson and former member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Madhu Chavan also expressed his satisfaction at the party’s growth. “We were young then when stalwarts like Atalaji and Advaniji used to come to Mumbai and address corner meetings in the city. They and their generation did the hard work to spread this thought of BJP to every corner. Our success and strength smell of that hard work,” Mr Chavan said.

After getting 122 seats in state Legislative Assembly election in 2014, the BJP has been on an upswing and won most of the local body polls.