Doing what’s good, not what looks good, says Amit Shah

New Delhi: BJP top brass has been holding feedback sessions with party leaders, including MPs from election-bound state of Uttar Pradesh, amid reports that the demonetisation issue could dent its poll prospects if cash crunch situation is not addressed immediately. BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday held a meeting of national office-bearers on the demonetisation issue, where he hailed the note ban as a “visionary” step and a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political will to change the fundamentals of Indian economy. The RSS has also told the BJP high command, including Mr Modi, that cash crunch situation needs to be resolved immediately.

BJP high command has been told that its popularity, which had soared after the surgical strike across the LoC, has been plunging due to the hardship being faced by the people due to cash crunch post-demonetisation. Opposition parties have also been attacking the Modi government and the ruling BJP over the cash crunch. However, the BJP claimed that there is “wide spread support from people for the decision and the criticism is merely confined to rival parties.”

Mr Shah said that the mandate the party has received is not for doing what merely looks good to people but to do what is good for them. BJP top brass, including party president Shah, has been holding meetings of party’s UP MPs from six “kshetra (region)” demarcated by the sangh parivar for better organisational functioning.

“Demonetisation is a visionary decision of political will aimed at curbing black money and corruption. The parties criticising it are doing so out of political malice. But the mandate we have received is not for taking decisions which merely look good to people but which are good for them.....We will not remain confined to small reforms but bring about fundamental changes in the economy,” Mr Shah told the meeting of office-bearers.

He also took feedback over the action taken on organisational proposals mooted in the previous national executive meeting as BJP prepares for the next executive meeting to be held in the national capital in January. BJP leaders were asked to push awareness drive across the country on less cash transaction underpinned by digital mode of payment. BJP leaders were told that they should put in all efforts to make their respective constituency, efficient in digital banking and digital payments.

A senior party leader quoted Mr Shah as saying that it is imperative to kill parallel economy running on black money to boost the country’s resources so that it can invest heavily in education, health and other sectors. He also said that Indian youths should be holding many global patents and it can be done only with massive investment in education and research.

BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said the office-bearers, which included state in-charges, also shared ground feedback on demonetisation.

“People have appreciated the move and the feedback is very encouraging for the party. Villagers and farmers are happy. Its opposition is confined to out political rivals,” he said following the meeting.