File Photo: Prime Minister Nadrendra Modi with senior BJP ministers
In an apparent attack at Congress' leadership creating a separate power centre during the UPA regime, the BJP has said it has restored the credibility, dignity, and stature of the Prime Minister's Office during its one-year rule and the last word now rests with the Prime Minister.
Addressing a press conference to mark the first anniversary of BJP-led government, senior BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that the party has become the central pole of Indian politics and the national polity will now be guided along pro-BJP and anti-BJP lines.
BJP also announced a host of programmes including 5,000 public meetings across the country to mark the first anniversary of its government which all Union and state ministers, party lawmakers, and office bearers will address.
Mr Jaitley also said minorities in the country were safe and in the last one year the government has made attempts to ensure there is no social tension. He said that some incidents, like attacks on churches were found to be law and order issues, not communal ones.
"Today all such religious institutions have been provided with security, which was never there in the past," he said.
On provocative statements made by BJP leaders, Mr Jaitley said, they were told not to do so.
"The last year has restored the credibility, dignity, and stature of the Prime Minister's Office. In this government, the last word belongs to the Prime Minister and that is how it should be."
"(It was) UPA's attempt to reduce the stature of Prime Minister's position by setting up power centre outside the government. We always felt such a system cannot continue in a democracy and we have reversed that," Mr Jaitley said.
He also said that the party and the government together displayed a lot of coordination and there is enthusiasm among party workers across the country. "Our party and our cadres are proud of our performance," he asserted.
"Policy paralysis has been replaced by quick decision-making process, reluctance has been replaced by decisiveness."
"There is clarity of direction in the government. A very big change is that corruption has been replaced by transparent governance. Crony capitalism has been replaced by liberal policy-based governance," he said.