Democracy is BJP's core value, says Modi

New Delhi: Asserting that the BJP and its forerunner Jana Sangh had since Independence led all agitations held in national interest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said democracy is the party’s core value which enables it to take along allies successfully. Inaugurating the new BJP central office, Modi charted the party’s growth since its inception as Bhartiya Jana Sangh in 1951 and said it has never wavered from its founding ideals and is full of patriotism.

He said there were many leaders associated with the Congress during the struggle for freedom, but later parted ways to propagate their political values and founded new parties. The Jana Sangh was founded because after Independence a need was felt to have one or two more strong national parties, Modi said.

“After Independence, Bhartiya Jana Sangh and then BJP led all agitations held in national interest in the country. And we are proud of it,” he told a gathering, which included party chief Amit Shah, a host of Union ministers and its office-bearers.

That is why the BJP is “dyed in the colour of patriotism” and is always willing to struggle and sacrifice for the cause of the nation, Modi said. The party’s core values are steeped in democracy, he said, adding that it is guided by a democratic spirit in its thinking, working and executing its agenda.

At a time when some of his allies, including the TDP, have spoken about their differences with the BJP, the prime minister recalled the work of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. Vajpayee was successful in taking allies along while navigating regional aspirations and sparking a new hope in the country, Modi said, adding, “The root cause for this is that democracy is in our blood (‘rag rag mein hain’). That is why we are moving forward while taking everyone along to the best extent possible.”

The new building may be the work place for the party but its area of work should be the country’s boundaries. Party workers should be its soul, he said. On the occasion, Modi also said different views of different political parties make the bouquet of Indian democracy beautiful but a lot is still needed to be done about the way they are constituted and function.