BJP aim: Developed India by 2047

Vibha Sharma

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 8

While nationalism was the core theme of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) manifesto (‘sankalp patra') for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll that was released today, it was also clear that the party was not just eyeing 2022, the 75th anniversary of India for which it set 75 targets, but way beyond. It was targeting 2047 -- when the country celebrates 100 years of freedom.

As senior leaders of the party, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, highlighted the Narendra Modi government’s achievements on various fronts in the past five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went several steps ahead than the next three or five years.

Speaking at the event to mark the release of the document, the Prime Minister said the next five years are crucial as in 2022, India will mark the 75th anniversary of Independence.

“In 2047, when we will complete 100 years of freedom, let us pledge to turn India from a developing nation into a developed nation. For that, 2024 will be a big milestone. The BJP pledges to make the next five years the foundation-laying period for the India of 2047. Let us together lay the foundation of the vision now and work earnestly towards translating the vision into a golden reality,” he said.

While nationalism was the strongest flavour in the BJP’s manifesto and theme — ‘Prime Minister Modi as the strongest and most able leader for India in the 21st century’ — the senior leaders said the government had not just fulfilled all the promises it made in its last manifesto but much more. “We have done more than what we promised in 2014,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said.

Listing 75 milestones that India has to achieve by 2022, chairman of the manifesto committee Rajnath Singh said the manifesto had been prepared with consultation of six crore people and reflected their ideas.