Setting out his agenda, BJP's new President Amit Shah today said the party needs to be strengthened in eastern and southern parts of India. "BJP is not yet strong in southern and eastern states. In the next decade, it is the responsibility of every party worker to strengthen it starting from booth level to the entire region," Shah said.
Shah was given a grand reception here on his return to his home state for the first time after becoming the party chief. Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel, her cabinet colleagues, state unit BJP president R C Faldu and party office bearers along with hundreds of workers were present on the occasion. Shah thanked BJP workers for standing by him during his "tough" days. "When I faced tough times, an exam of sorts, BJP workers stood by me. Their trust and support then gave me strength," he said, apparently referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, in which he had spent more than three months in jail in 2010 and had also been barred by the Supreme Court from entering Gujarat for almost two years.
Talking about the BJP-led NDA government, he said "it is for the first time time that a non-Congress government has won with absolute majority (at the Centre). With big power, our responsibilities get bigger. This win does not mean that party workers' duty is done, but we have got a bigger responsibility."
Targetting the previous Congress-led government, he said that "in the last ten years, the journey of development had derailed in UPA-I and II. This is a challenge before us to speed up development."
Praising the Prime Minister, he said "Narendrabhai is successfully running the government. The Union Budget is the latest example. Every party worker should go door-to-door and convey the government's message to common people. This is the need of the hour."
"This is the rise of a new era. In Modi's regime, India will achieve prosperity...not only that, India will become 'vishwa guru' (world master). But for that we have to provide a stable government for a long time," he said.
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