Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today addressed NDTV's first Defence Summit
In a witty response to a question on the BJP's target to win 370 Lok Sabha seats, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said, "We have already crossed 370" - an apparent reference to the Narendra Modi government's 2019 move to remove Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.
Mr Singh was speaking to NDTV's editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia during NDTV's maiden Defence Summit. His 370 quip came in response to a question on the 370-seats target the BJP has set for itself.
Mr Singh repeated the party's slogans of "NDA 400 paar" and "BJP 370 paar". He then added with a smile, "You understand 370 very well, we have already crossed 370."
On a question on whether West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar and southern states are tough terrains for the BJP, he said, "They are not tough at all. You must have seen our condition in West Bengal before 2014. We would not win a single seat. In 2019, we won 18 seats. And this time, one cannot rule out the possibility that BJP may win between 25 and 30 seats."
In southern states, he said, the trust of people in BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has grown. "You must have seen how masses' support for our Prime Minister. Not just him, we too get a great response and this boosts our confidence that achieving the target we have set won't be a difficult task," he said.
On a question on the BJP 'importing' Opposition leaders, Mr Singh said there are many leaders in the Opposition who want the country to move forward. "They feel that their party is not in a state to take the country forward. Only BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, can take the country forward. So, they are coming to us and we welcome them," he said.
The Defence Minister said that only the Opposition is responsible for its weakening. "This is a matter of concern," he said.
On the BJP's plan to reach every voter, he said the focus of the party's grassroots workers is to keep in touch with the common man. "At the ground level, we have panna pramukhs. His work is to keep in touch with only 10-15 families. We have a robust and effective system from top to bottom," he said.
The veteran politician said the BJP also carried out a nationwide yatra to ensure that every eligible person gets benefits of the Centre's welfare schemes. "We have planned down to that level. If anyone missed out on the benefits, immediate assistance is provided," he said.
Earlier, addressing NDTV's first Defence Summit, Mr Singh said the Narendra Modi government has prioritised the defence sector and encouraged self-reliance.
"In 2014, when Prime Minister Modi's government came to power, we put defence sector as our main priority. Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) was encouraged and we introduced many Make-in-India initiatives. Our focus was on military modernisation,"
"I am not saying that previous governments did not put emphasis on defence sector. But we brought atmanirbharta in the defence sector," Mr Singh added.