BJP only national party left in country, Congress reduced to brother-sister organisation: Nadda

Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda on Wednesday said his was the only national party left in the country and that it was committed to ideology from top to bottom, while the Congress was reduced to a "party of a brother and sister".

He alleged that with the change in the "culture of politics" in the country, Congress leaders do not know what to do as they were in the party for merriment and to serve a family in the name of country, to promote dynasty, and to fill their own coffers.

Nadda was speaking at the flagging-off ceremony of the BJP's second 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra', which will go from Dwarka to Porbandar. Earlier in the day, he launched the first such yatra in Bahucharaji town, which will end at Mandvi in Kutch. In the run-up to the high-stake Assembly elections, due in December this year, the BJP will launch five such yatras in two days that will cover different parts of Gujarat.

"There was a time when politics meant commission. There was a time when politics meant corruption, sticking to chairs...cheating people and enjoying oneself. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji changed this culture and got engaged in the service of the country as a mission instead of commission," he said.

The culture of India's politics has changed today, the BJP chief added.

"There is no other national party left. I say this with full responsibility that Congress has shrunk, and it is neither a national party, nor a Bharatiya party, but a party of a brother and sister," he claimed in a veiled reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Several major regional parties are those run by certain dynasties, and it is the BJP alone which is an ideology-based national party, he said, adding that the People's Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Biju Janata Dal, YSR Congress (YSRC), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and others were parties carrying out dynasty politics.

"The Shiv Sena was saved after a split, otherwise it would have remained a family-run party. Now, when (Eknath) Shinde saheb came, he talked of ideology...It is BJP alone which is an ideology-based national party, committed to ideology from top to bottom," he said.

Shinde's rebellion against the Sena leadership led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra in June this year, and split the party.

The BJP president said that PM Modi had set new dimensions of development and gave a new mantra - 'Sabka Saath, Sabhka Vikas, Sabhka Viswaas.' "Samajwadis became capitalists, while Modiji worked with the aim to serve the last man standing," he said.

With the change in the "culture of politics", Congress leaders do not understand what to do in politics, because they were in party for their own merriment and to serve a family in the name of country, to promote politics, and to fill their own coffers, he claimed.

"But Modi made the people of Gujarat and the country understand that only those who serve will stay. Those who work with a mission will stay and not those who are enjoying commission. Now those taking people towards 'vinaash' (destruction) will not survive, but those taking them towards 'vikaas' (development) will," Nadda said.

The yatra from Dwarka will culminate in Porbandar and will be joined by several Union ministers and state leaders. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was also present at its launch.

Image: Twitter/@OfficeofJPNadda