As the Modi government enters the last year of its tenure, the BJP appears to be doing a balancing act. After its concerted campaign to project itself as a pro-poor government, the BJP now claims that it has worked for both farmers and industry, and the rural and urban India.
BJP president Amit Shah said Narendra Modi has ended the debate on whether a government can only work for rural India or urban India.
“There was a debate if a government will work for industrialists or the poor. We have ended that debate. Modi government has also ended the debate if the government only works for the rural India. It showed even after working for the rural areas, that the government can improve a lot in urban areas. It has also ended the debate that whether fiscal discipline can be maintained along with social welfare,” Shah said while addressing a press conference on the fourth anniversary of the government.
Shah cited numbers to reveal the work done by the government in the last four years.
He said Modi was the most hardworking prime minister ever. “When Modi was elected as the leader of the parliamentary party (in 2014) he assured his government will work for the poor and enhance India's image abroad. He has fulfilled both his promises,” the BJP chief said.
The BJP had earlier consciously focussed on projecting Modi government's pro-poor and rural India friendly image. Many in the BJP felt it was at the cost of party's core supporters who largely stayed in the urban areas and were from the business communities. The BJP had done traditionally well in the urban areas. Recent elections in Gujarat and Karnataka revealed that the core voters of the saffron party also need to be addressed.
Shah, who has helped Modi in keeping his electoral victory tally high, said the government has delivered and would again win a mandate in the next general elections.
In the next one year, a keen contest is on cards across the country. Most of the opposition parties are planning to come together to oppose the BJP. But Shah said the era of multi-party system got over when Modi was elected.
“It was to end era of instability. It was an end of era in itself. After independence, the first non-Congress government won with full majority,” the BJP chief said referring to the 2014 victory. He underplayed the challenge from the combined opposition saying they were there in 2014 also and still could not stop the BJP.
Congress and other opposition parties are countering BJP's four year celebrations with protests and agitations. Addressing the charge that there is an atmosphere of fear in the country, Shah said only those who had benami properties, who are corrupt or who evaded taxes are afraid.
Asked if the promise of acche din (good days) has been achieved, Shah said there were 22 crore beneficiaries of government schemes. They have benefited from the government and their standard of living had gone up.
On the issue of oil prices, he said the government was working on evolving a long term policy to address the issue.
The next big challenge for the BJP is the elections in three states ruled by it, which will set the tone for the 2019 elections.