Presidential Speech Part-4

Indore: Seeking inspiration from Ahilyabai Holkar
The BJP believes that political office is not a piece of ornamentation. Rather, it is an opportunity to perform ones duty of serving the people righteously and selflessly without any discrimination. Indeed, a person occupying high office must treat even his or her own near and dear ones on par with others. I am reminded of this as our National Council is meeting here in Indore, the city that has immortalized the hallowed memory of one of the greatest rulers in Indias history \ Punyashlok Rajmata Ahilyabai Holkar. I pay tribute to this Philosopher Queen of the Malwa kingdom, whose devotion to justice was legendary. She did not hesitate to order the killing of her only son under the elephant feet for indulging in gravely criminal activities. An embodiment of wisdom, goodness, firmness and virtue, she worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the common people, especially the tribal communities. India is now a democracy. However, from ideal rulers like Ahilyabai Holkar, we should learn the lessons of impartial and fair approach for good governance and peoples welfare.

After reaching Indore, I also visited MHOW, the birth-place of Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar to pay my tributes to his memories. Dr. Ambedkar was a true Humanist who gave voice to the voiceless. His life best teaches the values of social justice and Samajik samarasata. I offer my adaranjali to this towering leader of all of us.

Presidentil Speech - Part3

Our glorious heritage: Sacrifice of Dr. S.P. Mukerjee and Pandit Deendayal
Upadhyaya

My first duty is to pay my most heartfelt respects to the immortal memory of Dr.Shyama Prasad Mukerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, whose life and teachings have inspired us since the beginning of our political journey in 1951, when the Bharatiya Jana Sangh was born. Their vision will continue to guide us forever.

Proponent of the Ekatma Manva Darshan or Integral Humanism, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was one of our visionary founding fathers. It was he who established that the spirit of nationalism and upliftment of the down trodden together can evolve a political philosophy and attract all sections of the society. Through his untiring efforts he created a niche for a political party for all patriotic people.

Today I seek the blessings of the two tallest leaders of my party, whom I have always regarded as my ideals Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Founder-President of the BJP, and Shri Lal Krishna Advani, who has made a seminal contribution to the growth of the party. Respected Shri Atalji can no longer actively participate in party activities due to his age and ill health. However, his legacy of wise and balanced approach to national affairs, his widely adored personality, and his enormous contribution to nation-building as one of Indias best Prime Ministers, make him a source of strength and pride for the BJP. With all of you, I pray for his good health.

It is my good fortune that I can count on Respected Shri Advanijis margdarshan. As someone whose own political yatra began with the formation of the Jana Sangh, and who has witnessed and participated in almost all the major developments in national politics in the past six decades, Shri Advaniji is a rare link which connects the past and the present of the BJP. His dedication, selflessness and tireless service make him a leader to emulate by the younger generation of political activists.

My sincere and respectful thanks to Shri Rajnath Singhji, my immediate predecessor. He ably provided leadership to the Party when our organisation was facing several challenges. On behalf of the entire party, I wish to place on record our appreciation of his service.

Today it is my bounden duty to remember with gratitude many great leaders of the party, who are no more but from whom I received inspiration, encouragement and political training. I offer my deep respects, my aadaranjali to the late Kushabhau Thakre and Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia. I also pay homage to the countless ordinary karyakartas who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Party. Thousands of party workers have been working for our Party without expecting any position for years together and I salute them at this occasion.

What I have learnt from the great leaders as well as the ideal karyakartas is the motto that guided their lives: NATION FIRST, PARTY NEXT and SELF LAST. This has been, and will continue to be, our guiding principle. I urge all my party men to follow it, since this alone can enable us to become better servants of the people and make the BJP a better instrument of nation-building. Remember that Nationalism is our inspiration, development through Good Governance for Antyodaya, our ultimate goal.

Presidential Speech Part-1

BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY
Presidential Address
By
Shri Nitin Gadkari
All-India President
National Council meeting of the BJP
Indore . 18 February 2010
Dear delegate brothers and sisters,

As I stand before you at this meeting of the National Council of the Bharatiya
Janata Party, I am overwhelmed by happiness, humility and pride. There are
moments in ones life when words fail to adequately express ones emotions. This
is one such moment in my life, the most important indeed.

I am happy because I can feel the tidal wave of enthusiasm and energy of the delegates of my Party who have congregated here in the historic city of Indore. It is you who bring the hopes and the aspirations, as also the dedication and determination, of millions of party karyakartas and supporters across the length and breadth of our great country. In you I see the same commitment to serve the Motherland that I had seen when I, as a young Party volunteer, had attended the founding conference of the BJP in Mumbai in 1980.

I am humbled by the enormous trust and confidence that the National Council has reposed in me. I had never in my life expected that I would be called upon to shoulder the responsibility of serving as President of this great party. I know, and I will state it without any hesitation, that there is no dearth of persons with requisite leadership capacity in our Party and there are many other leaders who too could have shouldered this responsibility. Yet, the party leadership and you unanimously elected me to occupy this position. I, as a disciplined soldier of the Party, accept this responsibility with a sense of mission.

Why this moment fills me with immense pride is because the honour of presiding over the BJP has been bestowed on somebody who is basically a Karyakarta. I do not have a pedigreed surname. I do not even belong to a political family. I was born in an ordinary family in Nagpur. I learnt my first lessons in patriotism and social service in RSS and ABVP.

Presidential Speech - Part 2

Presidential Address By
Shri Nitin Gadkari
All-India PresidentNational Council meeting of the BJP
Indore 18 February 2010

A Party of karyakartas

When I say that I cut my teeth as a ward-level political worker by canvassing for the Jana Sangh, in my early teens I am not telling anything new to you. Many of us have started from activities like wall-painting and poster pasting. Remember, for you and me when we move in cities like Mumbai traveling in crowded trains is a regular affair since we all are common citizens who routinely experience the daily suffering of the common commuters.

The journey of my political life is by no means unique to me. Indeed, all the past presidents of the BJP were committed karyakartas who grew up from the grassroots. Therefore, I regard my becoming the Party’s all-India president as a tribute to the BJP’s proud tradition of being a party of karyakartas. BJP is not aparty controlled by a family or a dynasty and this is what distinguishes the BJP from most political parties in India, where the highest office is being treated as the birthright of members of a particularly dynasty. This is what underscores the BJP’s deeper commitment to the ideals of democracy. This is what we mean when we
say that the BJP is a Party with a Difference.