PTI Jul 08, 2018, 19:44 PM IST,

`Economic development is not going to bring in votes. Hindutva is going to help the BJP.`

Mumbai: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said on Sunday that the NDA government at the Centre needed to be given another five-year term in order to fulfil its promises, but went on to add that the country's economy was "not in a good state" as he was not the finance minister.

He was speaking at a function titled "India's Grand Narrative", organised by the Virat Hindustan Sangam here.

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"Economic development is not going to bring in votes. (Former prime minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayeeji used 'India Shining' as his government's campaign motto but failed. The BJP promised reassertion in its faith (Hindutva) and a corruption-free government. Hence, it won so many seats in 2014," the Rajya Sabha member said, adding, "Hindutva is going to help the BJP."

Swamy said the ruling party had started honouring the promises it had made to the electorate, adding that it needed another five years to finish the task.

"I will not say that we have fulfilled all the promises we made in 2014, but we have started honouring them. We need five more years to complete what we have started," he said.

Speaking about the country's economy, Swamy, an economist and statistician, said, "The economy is certainly not in a very good state as I am not the finance minister."

Rooting for the removal of different types of cess, the BJP leader said the only cess that was needed and the one people would happily pay was for financing cow shelters.

"I am sure people will happily pay such a cess," he told the gathering in response to a query.