Shah has now drafted a strategy that focuses on states in the south and east, where the party has so far failed to capture political space
On a day when the Modi government completed three years in power, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah expressed confidence that the party will surpass its numbers in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP won 282 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Shah has now drafted a strategy that focuses on states in the south and east, where the party has so far failed to capture political space.
Shah said three banes of politics — casteism, dynasty and appeasement — have also been stemmed in the past three years, as he spoke about the achievements of the Modi government — from GST to the OBC Commission.
In the midst of the briefing, Shah quipped, "We are not losing any election just now... This (photograph) will be of no use," when photographers started clicking away while he wiped the sweat off his brow.
He took on the Opposition, saying that the Modi government had delivered "decisive" and "transparent" governance, and "changed the way India thinks." However, when asked about their getting together to counter the Modi government, he said "they are free to make efforts."
The day the government celebrated three years, leaders of 17 opposition parties met in a bid to discuss their strategy, particularly on the presidential candidate.
Shah compared the ten years of the Congress-led UPA government with the BJP-led NDA regime's three-year reign, and said in 2014, the earlier regime had suffered from policy paralysis.
To a question about the Opposition allegations that unemployment was rising, Shah said, "It is impossible to provide employment in a country with 125 crore people. We have tried to create self-employment opportunities for around eight crore." Countering the Congress demand for a white paper on employment, he said if the UPA had brought out a white paper in ten years, it may not have lost power.
When asked about reports of people, particularly in the IT sector, losing jobs, he said "where have they lost jobs. These are newspaper reports. Not everything that comes in newspapers is true," he said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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