Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has said that given the transformational governance of Narendra Modi-led NDA government in the last four-and-a-half years, the BJP on its own will win over 300 seats in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections and that the NDA will get two-thirds majority.
At an interactive session organised here on Saturday by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) on “ Vision India’, Mr. Goyal said the Congress would not get more than 60 seats despite Ms.Priyanka Gandhi’s so-called determination to boost the Congress election campaign.
“You need serious politicians. Priyanka came 60 days before the election because her brother failed. People are not fools. Otherwise, democracy would not have survived for 70 years,” he said.
“There is no GST on day dreaming,” he said when asked about the prediction of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao that the regional parties would play a crucial role in the formation of next government.
“Wasn’t it assumed that Jaganmohan Reddy was winning”? was his poser when asked whether the NDA would invite back former ally N. Chandrababu Naidu of TDP if he returns to power in Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Goyal said that FLO’s theme for the year ‘Infinite possibilities’, resonated with NDA’s thinking that one should have an open mind to achieve the impossible. NDA government successfully launched schemes that seemed near impossible. These include electrification of 18,452 remote villages in 1,000 days, installing 140 crore LED lights in place of incandescent bulbs, thus saving ₹15,000 crore electricity bills, and removing 75,000 tonnes of muck from Mumbai railway tracks under Swach Bharat.
He exhorted people to participate in the changing story and not remain mute spectators. People should go to vote and those who did not vote have no right to criticise. “This election is all about better future for people of India, for their security, to bring mindset of honesty, accountability,” he said. Though he said media should function as ‘Chowkidar’, he took several pot-shots at the media alleging that it twisted the statements of Ministers.
Asked why Prime Minister Modi is not speaking to media if he is a ‘chowkidar’, Mr.Goyal said Mr. Modi speaks to people across the country every day. But media conferences have become slanging matches of late and unlike in good old days, media is prone to giving wrong spin. Wrong spin to Prime Minister’s words can have serious repercussions internationally, he said.