Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs, and Information and Broadcasting and BJP leader Arun Jaitley. (File Photo: IANS)
New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) The actions of the AAP government in Delhi suggest it is anti-democratic and there is a great opportunity for the BJP to regain its political space, union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday.
"The acts of the Arvind Kejriwal government suggest it's an anti-democratic party. We may have lost the election in Delhi due to a vote shift of a few percent but now we are gaining this back," Jaitley said addressing the inaugural session of the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party executive meeting.
Jaitley questioned the claims of work done by the Aam Aadmi Party government and said people were disappointed with the dispensation.
"Delhi gave a huge mandate but today, people are asking questions about development. Kejriwal's non-performance is being noted by the people," he said.
"The Congress is out of reckoning. There is a great opportunity for the BJP to gain back its political space. People are disappointed with the Delhi government. It's the right time to go to the people," the finance minister said.
Jaitley also asked party workers to take the Narendra Modi government's achievements to the people and expose the Delhi government.
"Delhi BJP needs to form a big group of good speakers and develop good faces for future elections. The Delhi organisation should expose the anarchist (Kejriwal) government and gain back its space," he said.
"The party has faith in the Delhi workers. Let us all come together," he added.
Jaitley said the people's mandate in the May 2014 Lok Sabha elections has given the party two responsibilities.
"First is to free India of hunger and lead to cohesive development, and second to inculcate nationalism in the country and provide honest governance," he said.
Taking a dig at the Congress, Jaitley said: "The Congress is fast eroding which has led to frustration in its leadership. We have to constantly strive to increase our political presence in all corners of the nation."
Jaitley condemned the political parties for trying to challenge Veer Savarkar's spirit of nationalism.
"The anti-India slogans need to be condemned vocally by one and all. The support of the Kejriwal government to anti-national elements is condemnable," he said.
"Some people, who are raising questions over the nationalism of Savarkar, are attending programmes of those who talk of breaking up India. It's a big ideological challenge. We should consider taking it as an ideological battle and I feel we have won its first round.
"Now people who were raising slogans against the country have started saying they will chant 'Jai Hind', if not 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'."
He said the Congress was frustrated and would become the tailender in all future coalitions.
"We too were in opposition but today's conditions in parliament are unprecedented. The opposition, especially the Congress, is totally negative," Jaitley said.
He asked party workers to reach out to SCs, STs and women, and said the government will soon launch the 'Stand Up India' scheme to provide loans of up to Rs.1 crore to help members of these communities become big entrepreneurs.
"In the coming days, every bank branch will provide loans of up to Rs.1 crore to one SC/ST and one woman under Stand Up India scheme to enable them to set up big industries and turn into big entrepreneurs," he said.
