Expand base in Punjab, Venkaiah tells BJP workers

Tribune News Service 

Jalandhar, May 21

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today reportedly told BJP workers to step up efforts to expand party’s base in Punjab. BJP’s national president Amit Shah during his May 2 visit to Amritsar too had said: “Expand your base everywhere, including Punjab.”

Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his cordial relations with business tycoons including Adanis and Ambanis, Naidu said they all flourished during Congress rule and the Opposition was unduly associating them with the BJP.

Naidu was addressing the gathering at the opening session of the BJP’s national executive meet of the SC Morcha here.

He reacted to the criticism by the Opposition over Modi’s links with corporates saying, “Adani, Ambani, Tata, Birla... when were they all born? How did they reach where they are? Were they born in just the last nine months? Did they grow so fat in just this time?”

He lashed out at the Congress, “What was their policy? Garib ke liye ghoshna, ameer ke liye poshna (It had words for the poor and enrichment for the rich). They — who did nothing in 50 years of their rule — are questioning us about our one-year performance. In their rule, PM presided, madam decided. And at times, neither the PM nor madam decided. 

“They went one step forward, three steps backward...making the situation completely awkward. What did it ultimately lead to — governance deficit, trust deficit, and deficit after deficit...bringing a complete financial crisis with no investment at all.”