Amit Shah suited for BJP chief's position: Rajnath

Amit Shah is suited for the position of the BJP chief due to his leadership in Uttar Pradesh that saw the party bagging 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state during the general election, outgoing BJP chief Rajnath Singh said Saturday.

Addressing the BJP national council meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that "some people may wonder why Amit Shah (for BJP chief's post)?"

He said that when he was looking for someone to lead the party in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh, he zeroed in on Amit Shah.

"I hand over the charge of the presidentship to a young worker," Rajnath Singh said.

He added that Shah's devotion to the party cannot be questioned and that he is a dedicated worker.

He added that under Shah's leadership, for the first time BJP got 71 of 80 Lok Sabha seats while two seats went to a BJP ally.

He recalled that the BJP had just two seats in the Lok Sabha in 1984 and today it is the "biggest party".

"The credit goes to lakhs of workers... (and also) credit goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity."

He also credited External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who were leaders of opposition in parliament, and said that they exposed the failures of the UPA government in the house and helped the BJP win.

He added that BJP is the first non-Congress party to have a clear mandate in the elections.

Rajnath Singh said that BJP and Left parties are the only two parties in the country which are cadre and ideology-based.

"We can say that the only cadre and ideology based party left (now) is the BJP."

"Congress has neither ideology nor cadre," he added.

Rajnath Singh said: "We have to realise the inner strength of our country. This mission of free India, initiatied by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is now the responsibility of Modi."

"Power is not a goal, it is a means to strive forward. More hard work is needed so that power is not misused," he said.

He also said that India is not just an economic power, but also one of the best cultures of the world.

The council meet, apart from Rajnath Singh, was attended by Modi and various BJP leaders including Arun Jaitley and Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar.