Goa, 27 October (H.S.):

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Nitin Nabin on Tuesday set ambitious electoral and developmental targets for the party in Goa, calling for a victory at every polling booth in the 2027 Assembly elections and another term for the party under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in 2029. Addressing the party’s state executive committee meeting in Chimbel, he also reiterated the vision of building a ‘Developed Goa’ by 2037 under Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s leadership.

Nitin Nabin accused the Congress of promoting dynastic politics and appeasement while undermining democracy by questioning constitutional institutions.

He said the BJP’s objective was not merely to return to power in Goa but also to sustain the state’s existing pace of development and transform it into a developed state. He urged party workers to intensify their efforts at the grassroots level to secure more than 50 per cent of the vote in the Assembly elections.

Nitin Nabin asserted that as long as BJP workers continued to work on the ground with enthusiasm and energy, the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would remain firmly supported by the party’s organisational strength.

Attacking the Congress over its claims of upholding the Constitution and democracy, the BJP president said the party itself had weakened democratic institutions by imposing the Emergency. He alleged that the Congress did not genuinely respect the Constitution and that its leadership sought to treat its own decisions as the supreme law of the country. He maintained that dynastic politics and appeasement remained central to the Congress’s political approach.

Nitin Nabin said the Congress described democracy as strong when electoral outcomes favoured the Opposition but began questioning constitutional institutions when it lost elections. Referring to the Congress’s criticism of the Election Commission, he alleged that the party was seeking political mileage rather than working towards resolving substantive issues.

He said the BJP had decided to launch nationwide campaigns under the themes ‘Save Democracy’ and ‘Remove Anarchy’. Through these initiatives, party workers would engage with the public and communicate the government’s work as well as the Opposition’s political approach.

Nitin Nabin also accused Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of pursuing politics that, in his view, spread disorder and misled the public instead of focusing on development-related issues.

Highlighting welfare initiatives under Prime Minister Modi, he cited Ayushman Bharat, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and schemes aimed at supporting farmers as examples of programmes that had improved people’s lives. He claimed that more than four crore poor families had received housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and that over two lakh start-ups were creating employment opportunities for young people.

Referring to Congress-governed states, Nitin Nabin alleged that electoral promises were not being fulfilled in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. In contrast, he praised the performance of BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Goa, asserting that they were working towards fulfilling their commitments.

The BJP president said the ‘Swayampurna Goa’ initiative was advancing the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, or self-reliant India, at the state level. Referring to Goa’s budget of approximately Rs. 32,000 crore, he said the BJP government had undertaken work to develop infrastructure and improve connectivity between North Goa and South Goa.

Raising issues relating to women’s didignity,Nitin Nabin questioned Rahul Gandhi’s position on women’s rights and asked why Congress leaders remained silent over allegations of misconduct involving a party MP. He also referred to allegations concerning the mistreatment of female students at Jawaharlal Nehru University. These remarks formed part of his political address, and the allegations were presented as questions raised by him.

Nitin Nabin also criticised Gandhi over the significance of the Kunbi shawl in Goa, alleging that the Congress leader failed to appreciate the importance of symbols associated with tribal communities. Referring to an incident involving the traditional gamosa in Assam, he said those who spoke about respecting tribal communities should also honour their traditions and cultural symbols.

The BJP president said the Modi government was promoting not only women’s development but also women-led development. He cited Goa government initiatives such as the Griha Aadhar Scheme and the Sukanya Kaushal Vikas Yojana as measures contributing to women’s empowerment.

Nitin Nabin called for a sustained organisational campaign in Goa, urging party workers to conduct public outreach programmes across 1,721 polling booths during November and December. He said these programmes should inform people about the work undertaken by the Central government, the state government and the party organisation at the booth level.

According to information presented to him, the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme was being organised at 94 per cent of polling booths in Goa. He urged party workers to extend its reach to all booths.

He also called on the party’s youth, women, Other Backward Classes (OBC), farmers, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes wings to remain continuously active over the next three to four months. He said special programmes should be developed to engage with first-time voters and strengthen the party’s outreach among young people.

Nitin Nabin said a distinctive feature of the BJP’s organisational structure was that even an ordinary party worker could rise to the highest positions. He urged workers to take the development and public welfare initiatives undertaken under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership to every household.

He described the 2027 Goa Assembly elections as important not only for the state but also in the context of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP’s objective, he said, was to return to power in Goa and advance its vision of a developed state.

Those present at the meeting included Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, state BJP president Damodar Naik, BJP National Joint General Secretary (Organisation) Shivprakash, National Vice-President and Goa in-charge Bharati Pawar, Goa co-in-charge Anil Antony, and Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Tanavade, among other party leaders.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar