Congress ideology should be replaced with that of BJP: Shah

Asks cadres to work for expanding the party's reach with focus on states like UP and Bihar

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Wanting the country to be "Congress-free", new BJP chief Amit Shah today said Congress culture needs to be replaced by that of his party whose foremost priority is to win the upcoming assembly elections in four states with big majority.

"For long Congress 'vichar' (thought) has been pre-dominant in the country's politics. Now it is time to ensure that our 'vichar' (thought) has an imprint on nation's politics," said Shah, the architect of saffron victory in crucial Uttar Pradesh with 73 out of 80 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing the party's day-long National Council meeting here that ratified his appointment as BJP president, Shah also targeted leaders of other parties, including Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party and said it was necessary that the party should capture power in these two states as well.

In a pep talk to his party cadres, he said BJP should strive to form governments even in states like Andhra Pradesh for which the party cadres should expand the BJP's reach throughout the country.

"The country is yet to be rid of Congress. The cadres should keep this in mind.... Assembly elections are coming in four states of Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand.



"We need to ensure that we get absolute majority in all these states. This is our foremost priority. But our long-term objective is to provide good governance to the entire country," he told the conclave attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior leaders like L K Advani, M M Joshi and outgoing party chief Rajnath Singh.

He underlined that the party would not be in government for long unless its reach is expanded and exhorted all the ministers to work for implementation of the party manifesto.

Expressing happiness over the fact that Congress was not able to open its accounts in 14 seats in the general elections, he said the party even lost the right to get the status of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.