BJP doesn't need crutches, runs on own strength in Maharashtra: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the BJP doesn't need crutches and runs on its own strength in Maharashtra, and asked the party cadre to ensure that the Opposition is wiped out in the ensuing local body polls. We have proven that the politics of family-run parties will no longer work in this country. It is the politics of performance that will lead the nation forward, Shah said, addressing party workers after laying the foundation stone of Maharashtra BJP's new office building near Churchgate station in south Mumbai. Modi ji is the best example of this. A child born in a humble tea seller's home rose, through his dedication, sacrifice, and hard work, to become the prime minister of India, Shah said. The BJP doesn't run on crutches in Maharashtra but on its own strength, Shah said. Referring to the double engine' government of the BJP at the Centre and in the state, Shah said, the party should also win the local body polls, scheduled later this year. Work so hard that the Opposition is wiped out. They shouldn't be seen even with the help of binoculars, he said.

I believe that a party which cannot uphold democracy within its own functioning can never protect the democracy of the nation. This is a strong message to all dynastic parties, he said. Shah said for the BJP, a party office is like a temple. "It is from here that party programmes and policies are conceived and is a practical training ground for party workers," he said.

Shah said since the Jan Sangh days, ideology-driven politics and people's welfare has been the hallmark of BJP. Since 1980 when BJP was formed, the country has been led by BJP leaders for 18 years and it has been a matter of pride," he said. Shah attributed the party success to the hard work, sacrifice and commitment of leaders and workers. "It is because of the seeds sowed by them that the BJP has become a vatvriksha (banyan tree)," he said. The BJP runs on democratic principles and hard-working and performance-oriented workers can rise in the party hierarchy, he said. "I was a booth president and rose to become national president while, PM Narendra Modi, hailing from a poor family, led the country three times because of his commitment and sacrifice," he said. Shah expressed happiness over the new state BJP office spread across 55,000 sq ft area with a library, meeting room, conference room, a 400-seat auditorium, and offices of the state BJP president and the chief minister. The CM will remember that he reached the post because of the party, he said. There will be multi-level basement for parking, Shah said. I have told Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that there should be three to four rooms for accommodation of party workers like myself, he added. The Opposition has questioned land acquisition for the state BJP's new office.

In a letter to Shah, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut questioned the land acquisition, claiming the land was reserved for residential purposes.