Bihar BJP executive call to shun caste politics, focus on inclusive development

Apparently with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP on Friday gave a call to make Bihar free from casteism, communalism and poverty.

“In keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concept of New India, we will strive hard to make Bihar free from virus of casteism, which is a major hindrance to the path of progress,” said BJP state president Nityanand Rai.

Delivering the presidential address at the party’s state executive meeting in Patna City, Rai said in the name of social change, the RJD used the minorities and dalits as its vote banks. However, the BJP was determined to break with the past and would take decisive steps to reach the fruits of development to all sections of the society, irrespective of caste and creed, he added.

Rai also called upon the party cadres to implement the concept of “New India” in the state. “We have made a commitment to make a new Bihar and now time has come to execute it,” he said.

This time around the tone and tenor of the saffron party’s executive committee was quite different from its earlier meetings. The meeting held first time after the formation of the NDA government, in July, merely focused on the development issues in the new regime.

At its meetings held early this year in Kishanganj and Siwan, the committee had targeted chief minister Nitish Kumar and his policies, particularly the “Saat Nsichay” programme of the CM. This time Kumar was no more a target. Rather, RJD president Lalu Prasad was on the crosshairs of the BJP leaders.

The BJP, which was critical of the excise and prohibition act when Nitish-headed grand alliance government was in office (Nov 2015-July 2017), chose to ignore it and remained silent on the legislation.

Inaugurating the two-day meet, union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the greatest achievement of PM Narendra Modi was to provide a corruption-free government. He has laid the foundation of economic revolution, which was destined to benefit the poor, said the union minister.

“ Under the leadership of PM Modi, India would emerge as ‘Vishwa Guru’,” he claimed.

In his welcome address, senior party leader and road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav said the executive committee would discuss the coming Lok Sabha polls. “ Our preparation will be such that the NDA would win all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in 2019 elections,” he added.

Former Bihar party chief and now health minister Mangal Pandey, while enlisting the achievements of the central government, said the state would also emulate the concept of “New India”.

Apart from senior leaders of the BJP, almost all the union ministers participated in the programme.

Prominent among the other leaders present included union ministers RK Singh, Radha Mohan Singh, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Giriraj Singh, Bihar minister Prem Kumar, RK Sinha, MP, Rituraj Sinha and Shahnawaj Hussain.