Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always believed in empowering people and not distributing "revdi", BJP president J P Nadda said on Tuesday, asserting that he has effected a paradigm shift in politics with his governance style.
Speaking at an event on the book "Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery", Nadda cited a host of welfare programmes launched by the Modi government since 2014 and said they have benefited society.
"Not distributing freebies but true empowerment has always been his goal. He has always spoken of empowerment," the BJP president said, referring to schemes like Swachhta Abhiyan for cleanliness, the Ujjwala scheme for giving cooking gas cylinders to the poor and Ayushman Bharat for health insurance.
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Modi had recently triggered a debate by slamming some political parties for promoting "revdi culture", a metaphor for freebies, saying it will harm development.
Several opposition parties, especially the Aam Aadmi Party, came out strongly in support of their welfare programmes and criticised the BJP leaders for dubbing them as freebies.
First as chief minister and now as prime minister, Nadda said, Modi has believed in the empowerment of villages, the poor, deprived and exploited sections of society besides the Dalits, youth and women.
His policies and programmes have a philosophy behind them and they benefit society, he said.
The Congress used to mock Modi for videos of him picking garbage and opening bank accounts for the poor but it has helped the country change its mindset about sanitation while the needy have benefited with the transfer of welfare money to their bank accounts directly, he said.
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The prime minister has always worked on a mission mode, and that is why survey after survey shows his popularity rising, Nadda said, adding that Modi has practised politics and economy of inclusivity and development.
Earlier, people thought "Sab chalta hai" but now it is all about the belief that things can change for the better, he said, lauding Modi for enhancing people's participation to bring about changes.
When people will research in 2047 about the impact of Modi's suggestions in 2022 for working towards India's 100th anniversary of independence, they will realise how farsighted he has been, Nadda said.
The BJP president highlighted Modi's helpful suggestions to him in different capacities, including when the prime minister was a BJP general secretary and took care of the party's affairs in Himachal Pradesh, the state Nadda hails from.
Nadda said Modi has lived the motto of "one life one mission" and dedicated every bit of his life to the country and its development.
He has been in public life for over five decades and a head of government, first in Gujarat and now at the Centre, for over 20 years, the BJP leader noted, adding that his life has been spotless.
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This is an unparalleled record, he said. The prime minister had brought to reality "dreams meet delivery", the BJP chief said.
''People first, politics of unity and development, inclusive economy, paradigm shift in governance and vasudhaiv kutumbakam" are the five pillars of his working style, he said.
The prime minister has brought to fore India's civilisational heritage before the world, Nadda said.
'Modi@20' is an anthology of chapters authored by eminent intellectuals and domain experts edited and compiled by BlueKraft Digital Foundation, according to its publisher Rupa
It attempts a definitive and expansive exploration into the fundamental transformation of Gujarat and India over the last 20 years due to Modi’s “unique model of governance”, said the publisher.
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In his speech, former Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the message from Modi's continuous election wins is that if you provide good governance, people will keep supporting you.
While other parties are about one family, the BJP is about good governance and the most popular leader in Modi, he added.
