NEW DELHI, Jan 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Nitin Nabin on his election as the BJP national president and declared that the young leader will be his boss in matters related to the party.
Addressing a gathering at the party headquarters here, Modi described 45-year-old Nabin as a “millennial” with youthful energy and vast experience in the organisation, which will prove to be of immense help for the party.
In his 40-minute speech, the prime minister repeatedly referred to Nabin as ‘mananiya’ (honourable) and listed out the achievements of his government over the last 11 years, which he described as giving an account of his work to the party president.
“Every word of his will give us a new direction. His guidance will be a priceless asset that will chart our future course of action,” the prime minister said, addressing the gathering attended by senior leaders like Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Amit Shah, J P Nadda, along with Union ministers, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, and scores of party workers.
“I, too, as a party worker, was giving an account of my work to the new president. I have given an account of my work. He will now write my CR. I am awaiting his guidance,” Modi said, referring to the work of the BJP-led NDA government.
Nabin was declared the BJP national president at the party headquarters at the conclusion of the Sanghatan Parv, which saw elections to various party posts from the booth level to the national level.
“When it comes to party matters, mananiya (honourable) Nitin Nabin ji… I am a worker, and you are my boss,” Modi said.
“Now, honourable Nitin Nabin ji is the president of all of us, and his responsibility is not just to manage the BJP, but also to ensure coordination among all NDA allies,” the prime minister said.
Modi said the new BJP chief belongs to an era in which people heard the news on the radio in childhood and are now well-versed in using Artificial Intelligence. “Nitin ji has both youthful energy and a great deal of experience,” he said.
The prime minister said infiltrators pose a very serious threat to country’s security and stressed that identifying them and sending them back is extremely necessary.
Targeting the Congress, the prime minister urged BJP workers to learn from the mistakes committed by the grand old party and not to repeat them.
He said in 1984, the Congress had won more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections with more than 50 per cent of the votes. “But today, the Congress is yearning to cross the 100-seat mark,” the prime minister said.
He asked BJP workers to identify the bad qualities of the Congress that have brought them to the brink of self-destruction.
“We have to save ourselves from these bad qualities. We have to ensure that we do not embrace these bad qualities. Wherever we have maintained distance from such qualities, we have emerged invincible,” Modi said.
The prime minister said the Congress never reviewed its catastrophic decline, fearing it would raise questions about the very family that has captured the party.
“That is why they keep finding excuses. They have even lost the courage to find the real reason for the decline,” Modi said.
Modi said the BJP conducts a dispassionate review of its performance even after winning elections and tries to improve in regions where it faces a loss.
He cited the recent victory of the BJP in the civic bodies polls in Maharashtra and asserted that the party was not resting on its laurels, but has started work on the next round of elections.
“The BJP is a tradition. The BJP is a family. We value relationships more than membership. The BJP is such a tradition that functions not by a post but by process. Here, holding a post is an arrangement, and carrying out the work is a lifelong responsibility,” Modi said.
“In the BJP, presidents change, but ideals do not change. Leadership changes, but the direction does not change,” he said.
The prime minister said under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi, the BJP saw a journey from zero to the summit.
“In this century, leaders like M Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari, along with many of our senior colleagues, expanded the organisation. Under the leadership of Rajnath ji, for the first time, the BJP achieved a full majority on its own,” Modi said.
“Then, under the leadership of Amit Shah, the BJP formed governments in many states and came to power at the Centre for a second consecutive term. Under the leadership of J P Nadda, the BJP grew stronger from the panchayat to Parliament,” Modi said.
The prime minister said the BJP began its political journey as “a party with a difference” and over the years has emerged as a party of good governance.
