Strong party organisation key to stable govt: CM Sai at Chhattisgarh BJP executive meet

Raipur, Jul 10 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday asserted that party organisation holds a paramount place in the BJP and that a strong organisation ensures that its government remains stable and runs smoothly.

Speaking at the concluding session of the state BJP’s executive meeting here at Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium, Sai said the way his government has been fighting against Naxalites, it seems the menace will be “eliminated from the state in the next three years”.

“The government will exist only if the (party) organisation exists. If the organisation remains strong, we will be able to keep the government stable. Organisation is paramount in BJP. If you (workers) remain strong, we will also work strongly,” he said.

Highlighting his government’s achievements on the anti-Naxal front, Sai said never in history had there been such a strong fight against Maoists in Chhattisgarh.

In the last six months, 142 Naxalites were eliminated and more than 1,000 were either arrested or surrendered. Thirty-two security camps have been set up during this period and 29 more will be established in the coming days, he said.

Under the new programme ‘Niyad Nellanar’ (your good village) the state has been making efforts to ensure that the benefits of 32 welfare schemes reach villages within a five-kilometre radius of these security camps through those set-ups only, he said.

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured that Naxalism would be eliminated from Chhattisgarh in the next three years and I believe that the way we have been fighting against the menace, we will be successful in fulfilling the resolution of PM (Narendra Modi) and home minister under their guidance,” he said.

Sai hailed BJP workers for their role in the party’s excellent performance in the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Six months before last year’s assembly polls, many of their party leaders and workers were not confident that the BJP would form the government in Chhattisgarh trouncing Congress, he said.

However, when senior leaders started visiting the state, it boosted the morale of party workers, he said. “On July 7 (last year), Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Raipur and gave the slogan of ‘aur nahi sahibo badal ke rahibo’ (we won’t tolerate any more, we will usher in a change). The atmosphere completely changed after that,” he said.

Sai said BJP workers visited the houses of each and every voter and apprised them about the achievements of the Modi government and the failures of the previous Congress government.

After being elected to power in assembly polls, the task was to win people's confidence and therefore the party started fulfilling poll promises made under ‘Modi ki Guarantee’, Sai said.

“We took oath on December 13 and the next day, the promise of sanctioning 18 lakh houses under the PM housing scheme in the first cabinet meeting was fulfilled. Farmers were given the pending bonus for two years and higher returns for paddy. Many other promises were also fulfilled. We will continue to fulfil other guarantees like financial assistance to landless people and cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500,” he said.

The CM asserted that the state government has zero tolerance towards corruption.

He appealed to BJP workers to prepare for civic and panchayat bodies elections (slated to be held at the end of this year and the beginning of next year, respectively) in the state.

The BJP captured 54 seats in the 90-member state assembly in the last assembly elections, while Congress managed to win 35 seats and Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) one seat. In Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 10 of 11 parliamentary seats in the state, leaving one for Congress.

Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and senior party leaders also attended the executive meeting. PTI TKP NR