BJP chief Amit Shah said on Friday his party will notch up a bigger victory in the next Lok Sabha polls than the 2014 elections, asserting that India will emerge as a "great nation" in various fields under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The saffron tally of 282 seats in 2014 was unprecedented but Shah expressed confidence that the BJP would surpass it in 2019 on the back of a better performance in states like West Bengal, Kerala, Telangana and Odisha where it had won few seats in the last polls.
Shah told PTI during an interaction that India's self- confidence, pride and scale of ambition have grown manifold in three years and attacked opposition parties for their promotion of casteism, family rule and appeasement. Drawing a contrast between the 10-year UPA rule and the current government, he said the former was marked by a scam almost every month while even the rivals of Modi dispensation have not been able to level a single charge of corruption against it.
In a swipe at the UPA, he said every minister was a prime minister in its government while nobody took the real prime minister seriously. The biggest asset of the BJP government is that it is decisive and has restored the authority of the prime minister's office (PMO), he added. Asserting that India has become the fastest growing economy in the world, he said the government has taken a slew of measures, including reforms, to contain inflation and boost GDP. On political front, he said, "We have succeeded in bringing multifold change in the national politics. The UP elections have underlined it. We have virtually finished casteism, family rule and appeasement," he said.
Asked if he saw the Congress or the regional parties as the bigger threat in 2019, he said, "Elections are still two years away and any (opposition) party can be a threat in the next elections. But I am sure we will substantially increase our numbers." He said his party will maintain its overall sweep of northern and western India while substantially boosting its numbers in the North-East and southern India, besides West Bengal.
