In PM Modi’s welcome message for Nadda, throwback to their ‘days on scooter’

india

Updated: Aug 29, 2020 06:55 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Jagat Prakash Nadda as he took over as the new president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday. At a felicitation ceremony for Nadda, PM Modi said he is a disciplined party worker.

“JP Nadda is an old friend. When I handled the party organisation, he was looking after the Yuva Morcha. We travelled together on scooter,” PM Modi said at the change of guard ceremony at BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

“I got the privilege to work for a long time in Himachal Pradesh - and to find a friend like Naddaji,” he added.

The Prime Minister also said that though Nadda belongs to Himachal Pradesh, Bihar should feel more proud because he cut his teeth in politics there as a student leader of the ABVP.

He also praised Amit Shah, who handed over the reins to Nadda. “It is very difficult to run the party while being in the government. In the last 70 years, we have seen that the fine line that demarcated government and party, was blurred. I must appreciate the efforts put in by Amit Shah in steering the party as well as expanding the base at the same time,” PM Modi said.

“A party becomes successful only when it grows horizontally and its workers grow vertically. And this has happened in the BJP,” the Prime Minister added.

Saying the the BJP is a democratic party, he also thanked the senior leaders “who helped me in the initial years”. “In the BJP, seniors help the workers grow, they strengthen them, give them opportunities.”

He also asked the party workers to give all the support to Nadda. “His leadership will give us new energy and inspiration. It’s the job of all the workers to bring glory to Naddaji. We should give him what he wants,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also attacked the Opposition parties against the backdrop of anti-CAA protests. “Those who are not being heard, have very few weapons left. Among them is to spread lies and myths. And do it again and again using your ecosystem,” he said.

Nadda was formally elected unopposed as the BJP president on Monday.

Soft-spoken, unassuming, yet resolute, the 59-year-old BJP leader from Himachal Pradesh is a man known generally to maintain a low profile. But underneath a soft exterior, Nadda hides a doughty perseverance, an unflinching commitment to ideology and shrewd organizational skills that have ensured his rise, say party leaders who have seen him over the years.

Nadda has a Law degree from Himachal Pradesh. It was in the northern hill state where Nadda made his electoral debut getting elected to the state Assembly from the Bilaspur seat in 1993. He won this seat several times after and went on to become a state minister for forest, environment, science and technology.