Revered Baba Ramdev Ji, Shri Acharya Ji, Respected Rajnath Singh Ji, Honorable Vaidik Ji, Shri Hari Om Ji, the soldiers of ‘Bharat Swabhiman’ assembled here from around the country, and as I have been informed that at more than 500 places, more people associated with the movement of ‘Bharat Swabhiman’ are also a part of this programme through virtual displays on large screen, I bow down to all of you!
After independence, it is going to be the first election which is bringing an end to all the old conventions! Usually elections are contested by political parties, by candidates, but this is the first election which itself has become a mass movement. It is also the dedicated effort of Baba Ramdev Ji which has made this election a mass movement! Hari Om Ji is right in saying that Baba Ramdev did not need anything! All the Chief Ministers used to visit him! But leaving everything aside he started off with a mission! Not for himself, but for ‘Bharat Swabhiman’, the pride of the nation! Sometimes it hurts that even after so many years of independence, we only have to battle for our nation’s pride and honour? This is astonishing! It should be so easily attainable now; it should be a natural process, but don’t know, what were the hassles that after so many years of independence, we still have to fight for the national pride!
Friends, today when we are standing amongst the soldiers who are fighting for the national pride, at the same time Indian scientists and engineers at ISRO have succeeded in launching GSLV D-5. I congratulate all the scientists and engineers who brought this honor to nation, from this virtuous stage! There are so many such incidences that prove that this country has infinite potential!
Friends, I am not a pessimistic person, there is no word like pessimism in my dictionary! And the reason is not that I have the knowledge about the dictionary, but I have lived my life in such a way! Today when people blame me for all the weird reasons, then I myself look back at my life and think that how great are the people of this nation that they have held so high a child who used to sell tea in the train! Friends, I am not pessimistic and the reason is that I have seen my mother doing the domestic cleaning, dish washing in the neighbourhood households; she brought up and cultured her kids without losing hope! I was just asking a question to Baba Ramdev Ji because I don’t know a Hindi word. In our Gujarat cotton is produced, and when Cotton is full grown, then poor families take it to their places and remove the peel of it and take out the cotton. In Gujarati, it is called as ‘Kala Folwa’, I don’t know what do we call it in Hindi. Yes, I got the world; it is ‘Bhindola’, we call it ‘Kala’ in Gujarati! Its outer peel is very sharp, many a times it makes people bleed. When the season of cotton harvest used to come, then after full day of various sort of labors, our entire family used to sit in the night and used to take out cotton removing that peel, and next day we used to deposit it because we could get some money for that! One who has lived this life, there cannot be a word called hopelessness in his life. One who has been brought up in this pain and suffering, he does not have to plan trips to understand people’s pain and suffering, and the same suffering, the same pain, that empathy, it motivates us to work. It always remains in mind that the body, the time and the opportunity that God has given us, it should be used to serve the people of India. When you have the motivation that something should be done for the sufferers, exploited, underprivileged and the deprived, then God himself shows the path!
Friends, earlier elections used to be elections of manipulations, for strengthening the families, for handling the equations of the cults and sects, elections were held under vote bank politics! Friends, this is heartening that today there are discussions in the country on the agenda of development, political parties are forced to contest the elections on the agenda of growth, and this effort of Baba Ramdev Ji is a strong and solid step in that direction, this is a good omen! It is okay if you want to form government, but then you have to tell the world that why do you want to do that, for whom do you want to do this, what will you do after coming in power, tell this all to the world! I want that this initiative continues till the elections of 2014, the pressure should be increased, not only on BJP but for all the parties that it is enough, 60 years have been wasted, now perform!
Friends, Baba Ramdev Ji now knows the political leaders quite well! He now knows the tricks of the daylight reception at the airport and torture after midnight well! So, even if someone says for the sake of saying, do not trust them, check their track record properly, if they are performing then bless them but if their track record is not up to the mark, and they are just playing the tape record, then do not trust them!
Friends, you can imagine that the country whose 65 % population is below the age of 35, the country which is the youngest nation of the world and where every youngster is blessed with intelligence, labor and potential; but even with all this the youth that could have been an asset for demographic dividend, today because of the leadership of the country has become a demographic disaster, there cannot be a greater sin than this!
The youth wants opportunity. Today Swami Ji was telling something about China that China has focused a lot on one thing and that is skill development. Equip the youngsters with skill, if he has skill, he will find ways to lead his life through his own potential. You would be amazed to know that the Government of India made many skill development missions, even the Prime Minister himself became its chairman, it was decided to evaluate it after every three months on paper, but not even one meeting was held for three years! Does it require some extraordinary vision for it? Can’t it be done and produce results?
I am talking of track record because Gujarat has performed in that direction! We know that if we have to increase the GDP of the country, then we will have to increase and utilize our production capacity to its best, and Friends, it is not so that it is not possible. Ours is an agricultural nation. The issues that Baba has raised, Arun Ji and Rajnath Ji have explained them very positively, but I am telling in one more way! Ours is an agricultural country, and cattle rearing is an integral part of it, and I believe that if we have to strengthen the agriculture, then we will have to divide it in three parts. One third is regular farming, one third is tree plantation, cultivation of trees, etc. and one third is animal husbandry! In our country so much land is wasted between two fields! Everyone knows that to stop the adjacent farmer from encroaching on our farm and vis-a-vis, we build fence between our fields and so much land is wasted! If on that land, the farmer gets the right to plant and sell the trees, then the country will not need to import timber. Today this agricultural nation has to import timber, and then for the current account deficit, gold is blamed, that means doing what should not be done and not doing what should be!
Friends, in the decades of 60 and 70, there was a golden opportunity in India for gold smuggling, gold smuggling became the occupation of many people in this country and the underworld network was born from that gold smuggling only. Today also, all the underworld mafias that are there, they were born in that era of gold smuggling. There is such a government in Delhi that has again given rise to gold smuggling! A few days back I was watching on TV that in a state in south, more than 100 kgs of smuggled gold was caught, that which is caught we know, but what about that which we do not know! Friends, this is a result of bad policies!
I want to share with you all an experience of Gujarat. We organize animal health fairs in our state and organize them in great numbers. Even today in our country if a person has to get a cataract operation done, he has to go in camps of some charitable trust, this is the situation. In Gujarat we conduct cataract operations for animals, we implant ocular lenses in cattle, and we also get their dental treatment done! I recently sent some doctors to America so that they can learn operating animal’s eyes through laser technique, so that the animals do not have to bleed and bear the pain! And the result is that the milk production in our state increased by 86%! Now, you tell me that our farmer got strengthened or not? Look at the difference, what did they do? They dreamt of pink revolution. We have heard of Green Revolution in the country, White Revolution in our country, but the government in Delhi started a program called ‘Pink Revolution’. What does Pink Revolution mean? Open slaughter houses, kill the cattle and export the mutton of animals, which is pink in colour! Friends, tell me that will the mutton of cattle benefit the farmer or the cattle? Friends, this is the difference that what are their priorities for a nation like India that strives in villages? The result is that for making money, animal stealing has started, their smuggling has started. Baba says that at least arrange for the minimum income of the farmers, give him faith! But if you build slaughter houses then the Government of India does not impose any taxes, you get finance from banks at minimum rates. For example, if your slaughter house is in Meerut and you have to send mutton to Mumbai, then Government of India also gives subsidy on transportation!
Friends, what I mean to say is that we can change the conditions if we want to. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji was in power and our Rajnath Ji was Agriculture Minister, they started a project - ‘Wadi Project’. The Wadi Project was for the people of tribal belt who have 1-2 acre of land by most and their income was 10-12 thousand annually, and difficult to make ends meet! Under this Wadi Project we started an effort in Gujarat, we took our tribal farmers towards modern farming, towards water management, towards better seeds, we changed their crop pattern, and the result was that the farmer who used to earn 10-12 thousand, now started earning 1-1.5 lakh rupees. But after Atal Ji’s government, the new government ended that scheme! They do not understand that what should be done for whom! That is why I keep saying that to make the nation progress we do not need to get people from Mars, the people here can themselves take this nation much ahead!
Friends, this is true that if youngster of our nation does not get employment, if we do not focus on agriculture for rural development, then they will not progress. And it is also true that we have to portray our strength in the manufacturing sector also. The minerals that we have, our raw materials, there should be value addition in it, and there should be no compromise. If we will export steel instead of iron ore, we will earn more, youth will get employment, but if you will export iron ore and import steel from outside, you will ruin the country! But if we have to manufacture steel from iron ore, then we need electricity and the power generating units are closed because they are not getting coal and coal is not available because Delhi government is suffering from policy paralysis, and in this manner, it is a vicious cycle!
Friends, to fight corruption in our nation, there are certain areas of corruption, one of which is minerals! The system of our country is of first come fist serve, which means that whoever will apply first, he will get the right, he will get the allotment! We decided in Gujarat that we will not do this way, we will auction, which means that whoever quotes highest will get it, so the more money will flow in government fund and thus the poor will be benefitted! You all tell me, auction is the right way or not? Is it a transparent method or not? We took the decision and the Delhi government imposed a ban on it that legally you cannot auction! There is a government who is daring to give its geographical resources for value addition through auction, and there is another who wants to stop it! There is such a great possibility of starting cement factories in Gujarat, but I cannot provide limestone because government of India does not give me the right to auction and I am not ready to provide it without auction!
Friends, what I mean to say is that we can use our geographical property as an asset for the development of the nation! We have everything, but we do not pay attention! You will be amazed to know that in our country even sand is smuggled these days. If your policies are not clear then such possibilities will definitely increase. And thus, the first condition for fighting corruption is that the state should be progressive policy driven, new policies should be continually formulated, there should be decisions based on policies and decisions should be implemented in a transparent manner, this way we can eradicate corruption. This is not something that cannot be achieved!
Friends, Taxation! I am quite familiar with the thoughts that have been put forward for economic independence. There are many states in our country that are not able to show the courage to bring an end to octroi. We did it without any problem and in our state octroi is ended! All I mean to say is that if one wants to do something, then everything can be done and thus I repeatedly say that the country does not need promises but intentions! Friends, this taxation system has become a burden for the common man, the hold of bureaucracy is constantly on a rise. It is a need of the hour that new reforms are brought about in it and Bharatiya Janata Party is working seriously towards it! All the leaders of our party sat with experts of this subject for three hours. They understood the details of this subject carefully. We might see some problems at the first instant, but if we have intentions then these problems will also be solved, new ways will be paved and new systems will be made!
Friends, if we have to continue with the same systems, then what is the use of me coming here, there are many people who can do it! Friends, if we cannot do anything then we are not meant for that position in life, if we can do something then we have to do something in this life! But the systems should be such that simplify life. I will give you a small example, this is a world of bureaucracy and licensing, you all must know that the factories in our nation have boilers. There is a system of boiler inspection in government and the person who inspects boilers, he is the king of kings because they are very less in numbers and the factory owners face problems because they need the inspection certificate till a specified date, and the inspector harass them by saying that they do not have time, they should have informed earlier! Then whatever should happen amongst them, happens and after that the inspector gives the certificate to the factory owner that I have inspected the boiler and it is in proper workable condition! The whole business used to run like this. You tell me that the car that you buy, whether it is working or not, if the breaks are working properly or not, is this all inspected by government? You only do that or not? You care for your life or not? Then he will take care of the boilers also or not? If boiler explodes, will he also die or not? I said that now government will not inspect, you inspect yourself and give us the certificate, we will consider it! The role of bureaucracy came to an end or not? What did we have to do for this? We said that start this course for skill development in ITI and let them open private institutes for boiler inspection and this way thousand of boys have become boiler inspectors, they look after it and the owners are also worried because no one wants to drive a vehicle without breaks, in the same way no one will want a boiler in the factory that can burst. These are very small things, friends!
Friends, you would have seen that there were very limited large buildings with lifts, and there were government inspectors of lifts, and now almost every building has lifts. Now tell me, where will you get these many inspectors from? I have made a rule in our state that the users who can give us certificate every 6 months that our lifts are working properly, they can keep them running. Friends, we can change the systems, through small steps also we can change the scenario and if we want to bring about change then it can be brought. There is a legal system in our country that in every 30 years there should be a national level land survey. The length and breadth of the land, the ownership of the land, it should all be updated and documented every 30 years. You will be surprised to know that this has not been done in last 100 years in the country! Many rivers have changed their course, the lands that are there in the government documents as fields, rivers are flowing on them, at many places landslides have wiped off the lands, but on government documents, there are farms! This work has not been done in our nation in last 100 years, so where will the farmer go? I took the initiative in Gujarat, we are doing this in Gujarat these days and we will do it by any means!
Friend, what I mean to say is that it is not so that there is no solution of the problems, but most of the governments come and they strive day and night to win next elections. The job of Government is to take developmental steps taking people in confidence in the period of 5 years. Friends, I am saying this with Gujarat experience that everything is possible! The expectations that Baba Ramdev Ji and the soldiers of the ‘Bharat Swabhiman’ movement have put forward to Bharatiya Jantata Party and to Narendra Modi personally, we will try with our heart and soul that we will fulfill it!
Friends, I believe that every problem can have a solution, ways can be found and results can be delivered! India is a land of diverse resources, of potential. Friends, in context of languages, it is natural to be proud of Indian languages, and if we do not feel proud of our own selves then how can we feel proud of someone else? But we are in favour of modernism, in favour of technology, of giving priority to science, because if we have to stand with the world with its potential, then the child of our country should have the confidence to talk in the language that the world talks in! They should not get a chance to look down! But if we are not proud of our own languages, then we cannot ever look in the eye of the world and talk to them! Thus we should first have faith and confidence in ourselves, should have pride in our culture, should be proud of our food, dresses, languages and dialect. Friends, if we are proud of what we are, then we will find ways on our own!
Friends, I once again compliment Baba Ramdev Ji that he has started churning in the right direction to think about what will be the changes in the right sense, how should be the pillars like, what should the building look like and how a strong foundation will be laid! Friends, if the sages churn or if we churn selflessly, then it is sure to get the elixir!
Friends, we will have to move ahead focusing on two things. It will be Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary after 5 years. What kind of India do we want to present to that great man of all ages, we have to work on that dream! Similarly, after 8-9 years, it will be 75 years of Indian freedom, diamond jubilee of our independence, and we have to decide that what ode do we want to give to the freedom fighters who fought for 1200 years, how will we build that great nation to pay a tribute to them, we also need to decide on that and have to make our nation Divya (divine) and Bhavya (grand)! We are not the people associated with just grandeur, India should be grand and India should be divine also! With this one expectation of moving ahead with the dream of a divine and grand India, I wish that may God gives us the strength, people bless us so that the austerity of great men like Baba Ramdev succeeds and the country that has suffered for 60 years reaches the peaks of satisfaction, faith and prosperity. I thank you all with this expectation!
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
