New Delhi: Virtually kicking off the campaign for the 2014 polls, the BJP’s man of the moment, Narendra Modi, slammed the Congress-led UPA for “policy paralysis”. Taking a cue from Arun Jaitley’s remark that “a job well begun is half done, Modi said, “A job well begun is half won.”
Modi, who was appointed head of the BJP’s election campaign committee, addressed a mammoth gathering at Panaji on Sunday. It was first public speech after the anointment. Modi targeted the Congress on internal security, ridiculed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and took a dig at Rahul Gandhi over his now-famous remark “power is poison”. Modi said that “power is needed to take decisions and bring about change.”
He sounded the poll bugle by exhorting the people to launch a “Congress bhagao” and “Congress Mukt Bharat Nirman” campaign. Taking a jibe at the UPA’s Bharat Nirman campaign, Modi said that instead of “aapka haq (your right)”, it is a case of “aapka shaq (your suspicion)”. He said that Indians are suspicious of the national pitch by the Congress. Modi also said that the people at the Centre have become “corruption-proof”.
He attacked the UPA government, saying it has taken the country for granted and was “shameless” despite several corruption allegations and failures on various fronts like internal security, economic situation and foreign policy. Modi also accused the Congress of misusing the CBI by saying that “Congress uses power to destabilise Opposition, agencies to browbeat others.”
Modi claimed that 80 per cent employment generation in the past five years has happened in BJP- and its alliance-led states. “We are the youngest nation in the world and we need to channelise the talent and energy of the youth in the right direction,” he said.
On internal security, he said the UPA government was talking about  dealing with Naxalism with a firm hand but some people, said to be sympathisers of left-wing ideology, had been appointed to the Planning Commission and the Sonia Gandhiled National Advisory Council. He also took at dig at NAC, saying it had been set up above the Planning Commission which is headed by the Prime Minister.
Modi has last laugh
In an open snub to saffron patriarch Lal Krishna Advani, the BJP on Sunday anointed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as head of the party’s campaign committee for the 2014 general election.
Major opposition from within fell by the wayside as the BJP put up an united front with strong Modi detractors like Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar sharing the dais with party president Rajnath Singh, who told the media at the end of the deliberations in Goa: “I have announced the name of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as chairman of the BJP election campaign committee, keeping in mind the challenges of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and to achieve victory in the polls.” The decision to make Modi the poll panel head was “unanimous”, Singh declared.
Taking up the reins, Modi sounded the bugle by announcing a “Congress Mukt Bharat Nirman”. He is expected to address close to 75 rallies across the country. Ending his first public rally after the Panaji elevation, Modi exhorted the crowd to chant Vande Mataram, the war cry of the RSS. Staunch Modi supporter Arun Jaitley, said “naming the BJP PM candidate is a separate issue”.