FOR Bharatiya Janata Party workers, the upcoming General Election is not just an election, it’s a mission; because Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target for them. Knowing best how to mesmerise numbers, he did it by putting the workers on a 100-day mission to ensure 370-seat win for the party.
The Prime Minister also added a dash of ideology to his target of 370 seats by saying, “This is not just a number but a tribute to Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee, who died in confinement in Jammu & Kashmir during his agitation for the revocation of Article 370.”
“It is a matter of satisfaction for us that we redeemed the cause for which he died by scrapping Article 370 in August 2019,” PM Modi said while addressing the BJP national convention that was attended by about 12,000 workers from across the country.
Increasing vote-share
In addition to increasing the numbers tally for the BJP in the Lok Sabha from 303 it had won in 2019 to 370 this time, PM Modi also wanted the workers to ensure that the party got an additional 370 votes in every polling booth. This would bring up BJP’s vote-share above 50 per cent.
India, he said, would have to dream big and make big resolutions to “take a giant leap towards a Viksit Bharat” over the next five years. And the first step is ensure the BJP’s return to power with a stronger mandate he said.
Asking the karyakartas to work with “new energy, enthusiasm and belief”, PM Modi told them to reach out to every new voter, beneficiary and community over the next 100 days and win their trust. He said he was not seeking a third term to enjoy power but to work for the nation.
Unblemished governance
“If I had thought of my home, it would not have been possible to build homes for crores of people,” he said, and added, 10 years of unblemished governance and pulling 25 crore people out of poverty were no ordinary feats. “I am working for ‘rashtraniti’, not ‘rajniti,” he asserted.
“I am not someone who lives for his own happiness. I am advocating for a third term for the BJP not for political gains, but for the benefit of India. My efforts are dedicated to the people of India. The dreams of Indians are my commitments,” PM Modi said amid cheers Underlining his Government’s two terms, the PM said, “In the last 10 years, India has achieved unprecedented momentum and gained the courage to achieve significant goals.”
Political resolution
In an apparent reference to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks in the Rajya Sabha during the just-concluded Budget Session of Parliament, PM Modi said, “Today, even Opposition leaders are chanting slogans of the NDA Government crossing the 400-mark. And for NDA to cross 400, the BJP must surpass the milestone of 370.”
A resolutions adopted at the convention referred to the big, long-term dreams for India. The political resolution, titled ‘Viksit Bharat’, highlighted the achievements of the Centre under PM Modi and asserted that the BJP would return for a third term to lay the foundation of India for next 1,000 years. The resolution on the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya said, January 22 marked “the renaissance of India’s spiritual consciousness” and “heralds Ram Rajya in India with the beginning of a new kalachakra”.