Speaking at the second edition of the India272+ Dialogues Mr. Piyush Goyal, National Treasurer of the BJP and Member of the Rajya Sabha spoke to Overseas Volunteers for Mission272+ on how they can contribute to the Campaign over the next 100 days. The Dialogue with Shri Piyush Goyal was also simulcasted as a Google+ Hangout with Overseas Indians enthusiastic about Shri Narendra Modi’s candidacy as Prime Minister.

How can NRIs help in campaigning apart from making phone calls and on line.? How can NRI’s contribute financially to the campaign?

The bigger contribution of the NRIs would be in terms of engagements. Recently I believe some friends in the US have initiated a pledge where they are asking people to register and pledge their support to Mr. Narendra Modi and they are going to fly down and this over to Mr. Modi. On the second part of the campaign we are looking at you all to propagate Mr. Modi’s views and policies and spread the word amongst your friends and family. Indians look at over seas Indians as success stories so when you convey to the people back home your thoughts and your support for the BJP. You have asked about funds from NRIs- tomorrow we are launching an online campaign where we will be able to accept donations both through the net and the mobile and NRIs who are Indian citizens only can donate through our websites. We will require a copy of your passport and a letter specifying that the donation is from your personal fund and not from your business. Overseas Indians who are not Indian citizens are not permitted to donate for the campaign.

NaMo has done awesome work in certain areas but many people don’t know the details about them. is the BJP planning to do something about it?

Probably we need to re look at our communication strategy to convey to people that most of the things that are now being promised by the BJP or the Congress are somethings that Mr. Modi has traditionally been doing. A help line for citizens against corruption is something Gujarat had a long time ago and which is now being tom-tomd as something new. E Governance that Gujarat initiated 10 years ago has been a runaway success. So Mr Modi’s work is already being talked about and discussed although we have to put more information in the public domain.

What will be BJP’s top priority after coming to power and what if there is a fractured mandate?

In the last 20-25 elections all across the country we are seeing that except the state of Jharkhand the people of India have given a very decisive verdict. Look at the 2009 general election results, the people of India chose to give one party and unfortunately it was not BJP, 206 seats and their coalition an absolute majority and we were reduced to 160 and our entire group was 175. The people decided that they do not want to have uncertainty, they want a stable Government. Look at the 29 states that have gone to poll in the last five years and every state has gone to poll once. Every other state except Jharkhand has given decisive verdict. UP is another surprising example where they threw out the BSP and brought in SP despite being unhappy with the latter’s earlier Government.

The kind of treatment Congress has shown towards our soldiers is insulting of humanity. How does the BJP view this?

The world only respects a nation that is strong and which is led by a leadership that is willing to see eye to eye and which will take up issues of such nature from a position of strength and not a position of weakness. You will recall that it was Mr. Vajpayee who finally brought India into the nuclear world when he tested at Pokhran and we became a nation that had nuclear capability. Unfortunately in the last few years we have seen the Government come down on its knees on more than one occasion. For example the beheading of Indian soldiers, the Indian Government should have sent a much stronger response and a strong response necessarily does not mean war. But we failed to display our strength at that particular moment.

What steps would be steps taken by BJP to bring back economy on track and curb inflation?

NDA got an economy with 4% growth rate, double digit inflation rate and over 5% fiscal deficit and huge current account deficit too. But Mr. Vajpayee got it on track. Lots of reforms happened in financial sector. The governance was great resulting in stable prices and growth rate reaching over 8%.

Strengthening governance and the supply side would be two focus areas if we get to form government in 2014. By increasing interest rates we are not able to curb inflation. In last six to seven years interest rates have almost doubled in that process the supply has been squeezed out. Whereas demand and the aspirations of the people have grown. So currently we have situation of shortages in this country.

The situation is such that people are not able to start new manufacturing units or expand existing ones. This is because of policies of the government whereby lots of approvals are required. Also there has been lots of policy flip-flops resulting in drying out of supply. The first step for new government will be to bring confidence back into the economy.

We need to see people investing in India and trusting the government that it will let the businesses prosper. Inflation can also be brought down by increasing supply. This are the views of the first finance minister of India. This is where we will focus on that supply of necessities will be there all across India.

We will also ensure that there is no hoarding of necessary items. We won’t concentrate on freebies. We will provide all necessary things at a reasonable prices. Just the way Narendra Modi made Gujarat power surplus state by providing metered power to the entire state at a reasonable prices.

Ask Narendra Modiji to do rallies in non-Bangladeshi areas of West Bengal. People of West Bengal are unhappy with Mamta Banerjee and they will vote for CPI(M) this time.

Narendra Modi will be campaigning in non-traditional BJP strong areas as well. There is a huge rally planned next month for Mr. Modi in Kolkata next month. People of West Bengal have seen through the communists governments for years and they are sure to go for someone who can ensure development and not leftist ideology which is not practical.

In Delhi also we are seeing absolutely Leftist ideology government that has subsidized almost everything and it is not going to work out in long run with asking people to decide on the food prices as well. People don’t want a government that will make them dependent on freebies. They want progress and development. This is the mood that is currently observed in India. BJP is going to put up strong candidates in West Bengal and the traction for a progressive government is seen in West Bengal and Kerala too this time.

Can we have a shadow cabinet for Narendra Modi?

Traditionally India doesn’t have a provision for shadow cabinet. Narendra Modi knows what kind of government he wants to run at the center and he will pick up the right talent from within and outside the party. He will build a team that can deliver on his promises. He will build a team which will be honest and with the proven track record.

Narendra Modi will have a cabinet and team which will have a right blend of experience and new ideas. He has done in Gujarat and he will do it at the center also.

Will it be possible to include provisions for NRIs in the manifesto their voting rights, etc.

That NRIs should be able to vote was first initiated by Mr. Vajpayee and BJP believes that NRIs have a stake in the development of the nation and the party is trying to check how the system can be put in place so that NRIs can vote and the system is not misused.

BJP’s reach and performance in South Indian states. What is the plan to get seats from the southern states?

In Karnataka BJP didn’t do well in the Assembly elections because of divided house. The state is sure going to give BJP more seats than it did in the previous elections. There is wave in favor of Narendra Modi in Karnataka. The major challenge is to build traction in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There is a major shift in Kerala also and it is visible when BJP started campaigning in the state.

BJP favors formation of Telangana but Congress has played with the state on the issue of bifurcation. We are for the prosperity of all the regions of the Andhra Pradesh and all people should be happy about the bifurcation. BJP sees that Andhra Pradesh will vote in favor of Narendra Modi.

BJP spokespersons are pillared in the prime time news shows. Can the party decide who will talk to the media in such shows?

This will be taken care of and now BJP will search the best spokesperson for the kind of debate happening on the news show.

Bokhiria, Solanki and Yeddyurappa. Regarding AAP how to convert educated illiterates?

There is no court indictment against Purshottam Solanki as of now. It was all politically motivated campaign run against him. As far as Babu Bokhiria is considered lower court found him guilty but the High Court suspended the order against him and over ruled the judgment from the lower court. In case of B S Yeddyurappa it was found that Lokyukta did not allow him enough opportunity come out clear on the charges laid against him. He will not hold any office in BJP till court acquits him of all charges laid against him. There are no proven charges against him as of today.

How will the party select clean candidates for the party for the Lok Sabha and how will they be declared at an earliest?

A person with a clean background will always be selected as candidate for the Lok Sabha. There is a difference between the criminal cases that are of committing heinous crimes and there are candidates with criminal cases that are of political crimes like participating in an agitation.

These should be viewed as different types of crimes. BJP will start making its lists of candidates public from early February.

Please make BJP leaders MPs and MLAs easily accessible by the people with queries, complaints and suggestions. Only Narendra Modi is accessible. Can’t the technology be used for other BJP leaders also?

Except for areas where internet penetration is very low this problem will be solved at an earliest. Post elections all the MPs will be accessible through social media like Facebook page and their own website. All the MPs will be available for interaction with the people at a certain point of time throughout the term often. They will be accessible online and offline.

What is party policy for bringing in foreign universities in India to improve engineering and medical education?

We would welcome foreign universities in India and collaborate with the Indian education institutes. They should be able to work within our framework and our requirements and the foreign universities should respect our education system. Narendra Modi will shortly unveil his stand on higher education and not only the number of students getting higher education but that they should get quality education too. BJP will use technology to spread quality higher education across India.

Is it possible to have election slogans and campaigns translated to regional languages?

For media and campaign through hoardings the party will sure use regional languages. It will be tricky but India272+ volunteering portal will also be used to convey the message in regional languages.

Is party serious about abolishing income tax and bring on bank transaction based tax that is great move to curb black money and expand tax base.

It is work in progress now. There are certain unanswered questions about such a system being put in practice. There is detailed study going on for it. The party is open to new suggestions. In fact party got some 20 to 25 thousand new ideas and a huge team is studying each one for its practical feasibility and usefulness to the people. This is one such idea and is under consideration. BJP is for simplification, rationalization and better administration of the taxes.

What is BJP’s stand on UP, Bihar and Maharashtra. What is BJP working towards?

BJP is working towards 272+ seats. Each state has its own strategy and the entire party and millions of volunteers are working day and night to make it a reality. UP and Bihar are looking at Narendra Modi as a leader who can give strong and stable government. Over 45 seats is what BJP aims in UP and over 25 in Bihar.

Which are the seats where NRIs can come and campaign and make a better difference then party or volunteers doing the campaigning?

Urban metro areas would be better for NRIs to campaign in. there are 160 such centers. Especially in the state like Kerala, UP, Bihar, Maharashtra. These are areas where NRIs can influence the voters and make the people come out to vote and vote in favor of BJP.

How is BJP trying to make pre-poll alliances with the regional parties?

BJP is not looking at unholy alliances. We want alliances with parties which are interested in growth and development of the country where people should get good jobs and there is safe and secure environment for women. We are committed to skill development and BJP will only form alliances with like-minded parties.

Is BJP serious about disinvestment of Indian Railways?

Looking at how the power sector in Gujarat was turned around in last 12 years it can be said that privatization is not the only way out for turning around the loss making public sector undertakings. A robust policy can help public sector perform really well.

Government need not get out of the public sector but private sector can be asked to involve in making a sector better by using existing infrastructure. A robust mix of public and private sector can eliminate corruption and bring in prosperity.

Transcript of Shri Piyush Goyal’s Opening Remarks

We have just concluded four assembly elections. BJP emerged as the largest party in all states. Have to give it to AAP for being able to rouse people in the fight against corruption. Attractive part of the whole scenario is that all the four BJP CM’s have won consecutively and Punjab too has supported the BJP a second time. After the populist announcements political debate veered towards the AAP. The important message that is emerging all across India is the political decimation of the Congress. A party which was holding 435 seats about four years ago is falling in all opinion polls. It has a leadership vacuum, no governance. There is widespread anger against Congress. In fact opinion polls suggesting Congress may be down to double digits. Everybody is asking questions about the impact of the AAP. AAP having started as a movement has no track record so there is a certain freshness about the party that is appealing. I think its good that we have somebody in the contest because with Congress having lost the will to fight Narendra Modi, the latter was emerging as a unipolar personality in the election. No election campaign is a one horse race. People completely disenchanted with the Congress and not very happy with the BJP were looking for a third outlet and in that respect we have seen the fast emergence of the AAP which has actually spiced up the contest. We are looking at a nation of 103 crore people. We are not looking at some small area.

In Delhi the AAP was able to campaign very effectively and demonstrate that the BJP or a Congress did not have their leadership act in order and gained some traction first in Delhi and now in some urban areas. But one must appreciate that the BJP and the NDA led by BJP is a national formation with millions of people all across the country working day and night at the grassroots level for Mr. Modi and the campaign to bring in a stable government and in that respect AAP is far behind. You see a lot of media hype around the AAP which in some sense is also quite obvious because the media is not looking at a single candidate. It is not going to help with their TRPs, viewership or readership if all day all they have to report is what is happening with Modi or the BJP campaign so even a small move by the AAP will get a lot of publicity. For example the other day the Times of India group channel Times Now hyped up a debate on an opinion poll which they conducted across 8 metro cities. That poll was carried out over 2000 respondents only. Those 2000 respondents were selected only in the age group of 14 to 45. It was a poll carried out by the internet which covered 5% or 7% of India. Effectively it was a poll of 2% of the Indian population. a lot of panic got created over some of these very strategically moved polls which I think we should not over estimate.

At the same time its very important to learn some lessons from what is happening. we are going to have an election which is very keenly fought and keenly contested with different contestants in different parts of the country. Mr. Modi and what he promises is what the entire political spectrum will respond to so the central figure has become Mr. Modi and there are forces in different parts of the country contesting against Mr. Modi. Congress itself almost seems to have been reduced to a regional force, we have regional forces and then we have the AAP which is building up traction in certain urban areas. Certainly it can play a spoiler in a scenario where the margin of victory is not large enough especially in urban areas and I say that because not every urban area will vote for one or the other coalition. There will be certain seats both for the BJP and the Congress where margins of victory not being very large , you may find that when a spoiler picks up votes from one or the other party it can change the election result.

We have yet to hear from the AAP what is their world vision of the economy, what is their foreign Policy, their policy on security , their views on other controversial issues like Kashmir. We heard on of their members Mr. Prashant Bhushan say that there should be a referendum on the presence of armed forces in Kashmir, we have a senior ideologue of a political party who is literally talking of breaking the country. Other members of the party are talking economic policies that are completely far Left- they are talking of nationalising airports, nationalising power plants, putting out a new theory that all natural resources should only be the property of the public sector and they do not really value the role of the private sector in the growth of the country. It seems they want everyone to be dependent on the Government for their next square meal. Ultimately this election will focus more on policies and visions, people are looking at a track record of good governance, a track record of good growth and in that respect the BJP Governments in the state have come out with excellent performance. In the years that Atal Bihari Vajpayee led the Government, BJP led NDA gave the people good governance, a solid foundation for the country which created 60 million jobs in a short span of 6 years. All the states governed by BJP are setting excellent examples of good governance. Mr. Modi himself has an excellent and clean track record. he is someone who has seen poverty first hand, has risen through the ranks, is extremely focused and as he says “Give me 10 years and I will give you a future”