*Party termed it as Sankalp Patra for Lok Sabha elections 2019
*Manifesto focuses on development and national security.
*Securing the country against “internal and external aggression”, scrapping a law for special rights to residents of J&K and doubling farmers’ income by next year are other hallmark of the manifesto
A AKHTER / NEW DELHI
The BJP today released its manifesto calling it ‘Sankalp Patra’for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. The manifesto is mostly focused on development and national security.
Top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah, were present at the launch of the manifesto – described by the BJP as its “sankalp patra” – in Delhi.
Lauching the BJP’s manifesto Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Nationalism is our inspiration, empowerment of weaker sections is our vision and good governance is our mantra,” adding that it would take India on “one mission, one direction”.
“I thank all of you for the cooperation in these five years. It is natural that every party will bring manifesto for the elections. But Rajnath ji has spent two-three months for our manifesto. Probably, this is for the first time that the manifesto is based on a government that will continue to remain in power,” PM Modi said at the BJP’s headquarters in Delhi, after party chief Amit Shah and Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj touched upon some of the main contents of the manifesto.
“It lays the roadmap of a continuing government,” said Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, adding that it was not any set of promises envisioned by “the tukde tukde gang or even the Ivey League mindset”.
The manifesto promises a “zero tolerance” approach to terrorism and says the party will “continue to give security forces a free hand”. The point, which is at the very top, blends in with a big campaign focus of the PM and other BJP leaders after the February Pulwama terror attack, in which over 40 soldiers were killed, and India’s retaliatory strikes at Pakistan’s Balakot to target a terror training camp.
Last Five Years Will Be Remembered for Development: Amit Shah
Addressing the gathering, during the release of the BJP’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. BJP president Amit Shah added that India reached “greater heights” under the prime minister.
“In 2014, we got historic support from the people of this country. Under PM Modi’s leadership, the nation witnessed renewed development that benefited the poorest of the poor” said Amit Shah
Shah added that the BJP government has set an example of how a government should function.
“India’s development from 2014 to 2019 will be written in golden words in history,” said Shah.
He listed the achievements of the Modi government – from electricity, LPG connections and toilets to “surgical strikes” and improving the economy and claimed that India’s “glory declined from 2004 to 2014.”
Lok Sabha elections is scheduled to begin on 11 April, and the EC has imposed a ban on releasing manifestos 48 hours prior to it