BJP has delivered; and now if voted to power will work to ‘eliminate poverty’ : Jaitley
New Delhi, Apr 8 : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said the five-year old Modi government has been a “performing” regime and maintained in next five years it will work to restrict poverty to single digit and ultimately will strive to eliminate it.
He said as a “continuing government we will follow the same principle” under which resources will be given to the poor and tax base expanded.
“The essence of our manifesto is to deplete poverty over next five years to single digit and than eventually to eliminate it,” Finance Minister said during the release of BJP’s “Sankalp Patra” (manifesto) here.
Finance Minister also said that a eight per cent growth rate will be maintained – which will retain our position as world’s fastest growing economy.
“This manifesto is one of a government which is going to continue in power. This manifesto in the season of manifestos is not prepared with the ‘Tukde Tukde’ mindset,” Mr Jaitley said.
He said under the plans and vision as envisioned by the BJP-led dispensation, India will continue to be regarded “as a bright spot in the global economy”.
“This is our mission as far as next five years is concerned and beyond that is concerned,” Mr Jaitley said.
“This is the first five years that India was globally the fastest growing economy in the world,” he said adding the fiscal prudence under NDA regime’s stewardship too has been best ever since 1947.
“Our inflation has been the lowest compared to double digits inflation left by our predecessor,” said the Finance Minister.
“We are the first government in history that consolidated India’s middle class and brought out the fastest depletion of poverty,” he said.
This manifesto instead, he said has been prepared with a strong nationalist vision and is “rooted” in Indian realities.
“Those who failed in the past for decades and not years can manufacture fresh ideas for the future,” he said sounding critical of the intent of the Congress party and others and said in contrast it is his party and the Modi government “which has the credibility to offer a road map for the future”.
Mr Jaitley maintained 2014 parliamentary elections were held in a “cynical environment” with corruption, policy paralysis and indecisiveness of the leadership.
“Both the BJP and our prime ministerial candidate in 2014 – Narendra Modi – held a hope and therefore, today’s environment is entirely different. We have a government which delivered,” Finance Minister said.
Mr Jaitley, who held Defence portfolio for brief spells, said the new security doctrine that has been put into practice by the Modi government underlines clearly that “deterrent itself is the best defence”.
“Our new policy of striking at the terror at a point of origin has received global support,” he remarked in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj among others.
“We will reject all ideas for the balkanisation of India,” he asserted adding, the BJP-led NDA if voted to power will work to make India “one of the strongest and secured countries” of the world.
Flaying Congress party and other opposition outfits, he said previous governments only gave slogans, but in contrast – “Prime Minister Modi’s government delivered resources for the poor”.
He said the NDA regime headed by PM Modi gave to India – a “five year tenure” government that ensured ‘controlled inflation’.
“……taxes were only reduced and never increased,” he said adding this was done to put more money in the pockets of people “so that they could spend more”.
Castigating the opposition, he said those who have performed – that is NDA – their words carry much more credibility than who failed and therefore today India is at the cusp of history making up for all the ‘lost opportunities’.
“To make India a land of opportunities, what is the kind of government we require,” he wondered and hastened to add – “India cannot experiment with adventurism of failed ideas”.
UNI.