M A I N   N E W S

Need for change in Haryana, says Shah
BJP should reach the half-way mark on its own in the state and win J&K
Tribune News service

‘BJP should get majority’ We should see that the BJP alone gets majority in Haryana. Even if there is an alliance, the BJP on its own should have more than 45 (out of total 90) seats ‘Corruption’ in J-K Jammu and Kashmir was a “very sensitive state” where the government had crossed “all limits of corruption” Amit Shah said, adding that the people wanted a change. “The state will see development only when the BJP government is formed there, he said.

New Delhi, August 9
Focusing particularly on Haryana for his larger pitch for a “Congress-free” country, new BJP president Amit Shah’s clear message to the state cadres was that the party should reach the halfway mark on its own, irrespective of whether or not there was an alliance with a regional party.

Delivering his first speech after his appointment as the BJP president was ratified by the National Council, one of the prime areas of his focus was the coming Assembly elections in four states — Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

“Our foremost commitment should be to return the BJP to power in the election-bound states,” he said asking the party activists to follow the approach maintained in Uttar Pradesh — a state he managed for the BJP in the General Election and for which he was rewarded with the post of the party president.

Shah referred to the Congress-ruled Haryana in the context of “land scams” and “some faces”, referring obviously to the alleged land deals involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra and the role played by the state government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda in facilitating them. “There is a need to change the government in the state. We should see that the BJP alone gets the majority,” he said.

He specifically mentioned that the possibility of alliance in the state would be seen later. “Even if there is an alliance, the BJP on its own should have more than 45 (out of total 90) seats”, he said.

Many are reading this as a clear signal to the alliance partner Kuldeep Bishnoi-led HJC that the saffron party was capable of forming the government on its own. He urged the cadres to make inroads and strive for the BJP governments without depending on allies in the states like Assam, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala. He also mentioned Jammu and Kashmir as a “very sensitive state” where the government had crossed “all limits of corruption” and people wanted a change.

“The state will see development only when the BJP government is formed there,” he said. Referring apparently to the Nehru-Gandhi and the Abdullah families, Shah said: “The two families have ensured that money does not reach the poor. We have to highlight this”.

Shah also targeted leaders of other parties, including Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) and Akhilesh Yadav, saying it was necessary that the party capture power in these two states as well. His said all ministers should work for the implementation of the party manifesto.