Ahmedabad:: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is confident that the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP will retain power in Gujarat with an unprecedented mandate and that its governance model, which he dubbed as all inclusive and pervasive, will blunt anti incumbency in the state. Shah, who has been steering the election campaign in the state, said the Narendra Modi government has no tolerance for radicalisation and terrorism and has ensured that India s views on international issues are heard and considered.Shah spoke to Smriti Kak Ramachandran about the BJP s pan India expansion plans, the opposition it faces from other political parties, issues related to national security, and the reasons why he is all for education being imparted in the mother tongue. Edited excerpts:Since the 1990s the BJP has had a good run in Gujarat. This time it has said it is confident of setting a new record. Why do you think that the people of Gujarat will give the BJP such a decisive mandate With time, we have recognised the requirements and aspirations of the people and moulded both the party as well as the government to meet those in a holistic manner.
If you keep changing and keep pace with time, you meet the expectations of people and I feel we have done this very well here in Gujarat. Secondly, no matter which government is in power, we normally see there is a limited area of thrust, but the BJP government in the state, under the national leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a development model which covers a wide variety of areas. Our development model is sarvasparshi touching all and sarvasamaveshi all inclusive that spans all the areas. Whether it was in the area of education, irrigation, infrastructure, urban and rural development, or welfare of the Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, and Scheduled Castes, we could improve things everywhere. And people of the state could tell the difference and feel the improvement on the ground. All sections of society, irrespective of caste, support the BJP and have representation in the party.This is the reason why we have been able to both earn and accumulate the people s confidence for such a long time. We have also been successful in providing a transparent government and showing zero tolerance for issues that threaten security.
Because Gujarat is a border area, people here are touchy about security issues and have higher expectations. I feel we have been able to meet these expectations.Will you break your own 127 seat win record of 2002...It is obvious that we will get more seats. It is not advisable to comment on the numbers because it can come across as arrogant and neither the people nor the party cadre approves of that The BJP will break all its previous records of seat share and vote share this time and win with the best marginThe 2017 elections were high decibel and keenly fought, but this time the Opposition, particularly the Congress, seems missing from the electoral contest.The Opposition here is the Congress party. Not just in Gujarat but across the country it is going through an unstable phase and trying to establish its existence and the outcome of this can be seen in Gujarat as well .The political narrative is dominated by the BJP and the AAP. Do you think the Congress has ceded space and a new entity is ready to take its place The AAP has no resonance on the ground; and the people of Gujarat have no interest in the party.
It is quite possible that their candidates will find no mention in the list of winners.There is a generation that has only been acquainted with the BJP. Do you think there is an appetite for change among the young There is no desire for a change among the younger generation because their representatives are here as well. The BJP has been making concerted effort to meet the expectations of the younger lot. There was a time when the state got power for four hours a day today Gujarat accounts for the most number of start ups and micro, medium and small scale industries; we have the maximum number of unique universities here whether it is for studies in the petroleum sector or shipping or technology. We have addressed their expectations, requirements, and their future.The PM is the BJP s most popular leader. You have been steering all poll related meetings and both of you have been campaigning extensively too. The Opposition, however, says this shows that the BJP is dependent on central leaders and leadership in the states is still floundering.Both Prime Minister Modi and I are from the state.
Even otherwise, no matter in which state elections are being held, all BJP leaders go to canvass. We feel it is very important for us to maximise the reach of our ideology, principles, work, and agenda for the future. Concerted campaigning does not mean that it is a difficult election or appears so; the idea is to campaign as much as possible. The PM is our most popular leader and it is also his mandate to make the party win. Why should the party not fight election with him in the lead The manifesto in Gujarat refers to the setting up of an anti radicalisation cell that will identify and eliminate potential threats, and sleeper cells of the terrorist organisations. Why does the party feel the need to announce such a step in Gujarat and will this be done pan India What is the harm in doing so If there is any good beginning being made from anywhere it should be welcomed. There should be a check on radicalisation not only in Gujarat but across the country. While it is a good thing that the BJP in Gujarat has raised the issue, I feel there should be similar provisions across the country.
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