Highlighting the alleged economic mismanagement by the Congress-led UPA government before 2014 and the achievements since under BJP rule, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the much-awaited ‘white paper’ in Parliament on Thursday, during the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha ahead of the general elections due in April-May.
While a detailed discussion on the ‘white paper’ will take place in both Houses of Parliament over the next two days, including Saturday, top sources say the BJP is chalking out plans to take the findings beyond Parliament to the masses.
“The BJP will take the findings of the ‘white paper’, which exposes the Opposition, through the length and breadth of the country,” a senior Union Minister told News18.
“It is important for the people of the country, especially the youth, to understand how India has been able to come out of the clutches of policy paralysis to a stable economy under a stable government,” another minister said.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of 370 seats for the BJP and 400-plus seats for the NDA as a whole.
“The party will organise press conferences interaction with the youth, interactions with intellectuals, and even hold street meetings to tell people what it has taken the Narendra Modi government to undo the damage caused by the UPA regime,” a senior BJP functionary told Network18.
According to BJP sources, the move to bring a ‘white paper’ comparing the UPA and NDA performance on economic fronts is not a flash in the pan. A similar strategy was also adopted by the BJP in Rajasthan when it released a ‘red diary’, highlighting alleged corruption of the previous Ashok Gehlot government. That had huge resonance among common people, leaders said.
PM Modi had first discussed the prospect of bringing in such a ‘white paper’ during an interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi in 2016. A senior government source, however, said conditions were not quite conducive for such an exercise back then. PM Modi felt exposing the “wrongdoings” of the UPA immediately after a change in government would have sent the wrong message as citizens would have lost faith in the economy and even investors would have been spooked, the source added.
Those who have been working on the ‘white paper’ maintain that it has been an honest effort over the last 10 years to change the shape and image of India and even though it was a painstaking exercise, it turned out to be a satisfactory one at the end of the day.
“Nothing has happened overnight, but it has been tireless work over the last 10 years to see where India has arrived as a nation,” a senior BJP MP told News18.
Those involved in the process of preparing the comprehensive ‘white paper’ say it took a month to collect the data and information from various departments and ministries. Sources said PM Modi held multiple meetings with the team that prepared the document and gave feedback at each stage.
“What we have seen different from 2014 to 2019 and in the run-up to 2024 is the power and the commitment of a stable government and stable leadership,” a senior BJP leader said, adding that unlike the coalition government of the UPA, the Modi government has been leading from the front.
“Unlike the UPA, where the Prime Minister practically was being controlled from somewhere else, PM Modi has been a leader who has been direct with his communication. This is the government which has faced the test of the people, through multiple rounds of elections and has had the courage to work for the cause of the people and take bold decisions with a deep sense of responsibility,” the leader added.
With his ratings at the highest ever and without the baggage of any scam, PM Modi is seeking a record third term as the Prime Minister. The BJP hopes taking the ‘white paper’ among the electorate will help achieve that with a record margin.
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