I’m a BJP worker, Nitin is my boss: Modi hails party chief

NEw new delhi: ground government minister Narendra Modi on tues hailed the Bharatiya Janata company’s new national president Nitin Nabin as a millennial, who is young but with vast experience and will carry forward the party’s legacy.Nabin, a 45- year old five time legislator from Bihar was declared as the party’s 12th national president on Tuesday. He was elected unanimously without a contest.In his address to the party cadre, the PM said, “I am proud that I am a worker of the party and Nitin Nabin is my boss…”Referring to the task ahead for Nabin, the PM said he not only has to lead the BJP but also maintain ties with the party’s allies in the larger National Democratic Alliance.Praising the new party chief, the PM said Nabin is know for his saralta and sahajta(simplicity and naturalness).“Whether it was in his role as state prabhari (state in charge) or as minister in the Bihar government, he has always fulfilled the responsibility that was given to him and proved himself. Those who gave him responsibilities are also proud,” he said.The new president has taken over the reins of the party at a time when the country is moving toward the realisation of Viksit Bharat, the PM said.“This is the 21st century and the first 25 years are already over and now the next 25 years are critical. This is the period when Viksit Bharat (developed India) will be achieved. Nabin himself is a millennial and from a generation that saw transformations take place…a generation that went from getting news on the radio to being active users of AI. He has youthful energy and long experience of working in the party,” he said.Reflecting on the tenure of the past presidents , Modi said that under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK 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…Then under the leadership of Amit Shah, BJP formed governments in many states and came to power at the Centre for a second consecutive term. Then under the leadership of JP Nadda, the BJP grew stronger from the panchayat to Parliament,” he said.Commenting on the functioning of the BJP, the PM said the party values relationship over membership.“Our adhyaksh (presidents) change, but not our adarsh (principles). The leadership changes but not the direction. Our spirit and outlook is national because we are rooted… This is why the party gives platform to regional aspirations and makes them the basis for national ambition. This is the reason why people from across the country are joining the BJP and even those who want to join politics, find BJP the most secure,” he said.Lashing out at the Congress, which he accused of propagating dynastic politics, the PM said the comparison between the two parties is stark. He said while the Congress shies away from assessing the reasons for its continued electoral defeats, the BJP does not rest on its laurels.The work ethic and the mantra of service to people, he said has ensured that the BJP has won decisive mandates even in states where it has been in power for long, and cited the example of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Bihar.“In the last few decades, the faith in BJP  has gone up and the strike rate has been unprecedented. …The unprecedented results in Maharashtra local polls has shown BJP  is the biggest party. Even in Kerala, we have over 100 councillors. I am confident that in the upcoming polls in Kerala, people will pick the BJP,” he said.In the recent local polls in Maharashtra, the BJP won 14 of 29 corporations on its own, and another 11 with allies. Along with the Shiv Sena, it will also govern the BMC, the local body in charge of the country’s commercial capital, Mumbai.Pointing out that the BJP’s expansion is a matter of pride, the PM said it is equally a big responsibility.He said while the BJP is encouraging the youth to join politics, some opposition parties continue to remain bound by dynastic rule.“Today the country probably doesn’t even remember that in 1984 Congress got more than 400 seats and the country gave Congress nearly 50% of the votes, but today Congress is desperately longing even for 100 seats…. Congress never conducts a review of this catastrophic decline of its own, because if it does review and goes into the reasons for the decline, questions will arise about the very family that has captured the Congress,” he said training his guns at the Gandhi family without naming them.In a pointed message to the BJP cadre, the PM said there are lessons to be learnt from the mistakes made by the Congress party.He said the BJP workers should identify the reasons that brought the Congress to the brink of destruction and ensure that the party is insulated from these.“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. His comments come amid reports of administrative lapses in some BJP ruled states.