New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday stressed the need to connect India’s younger generation with the roots of “cultural nationalism”, cautioning that attempts are being made at the global level to challenge the democracies of several countries by fomenting anarchy.
Speaking at an event organised to mark the 75th foundation year of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor to the BJP, Nabin said the “changing circumstances” in the world pose a “major challenge” that requires not only ideological continuity but also the new generation’s deeper connect with India’s “cultural nationalist foundations”.
Nabin credited the BJP’s expansion and strengthening to the dedication and hard work of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former deputy prime minister L K Advani, and many other leaders from the BJP and Jan Sangh.
“However, friends, we still need to connect this expansion with a firm sense of resolve to our core mission. A significant challenge lies before us. As circumstances evolve and new generations emerge, we must ensure that, alongside our ideology, these younger generations are also rooted in the nation’s cultural nationalism,” Nabin said.
Recalling the struggles of the organisation, Nabin mentioned that when the Jan Sangh was founded on October 21, 1951, it faced numerous challenges, as it had neither money to print receipts, nor office premises, nor means of transport.
Noting that their predecessors’ resolve was greater than the challenges they faced, Nabin said that perhaps today’s generation, too, needs to cultivate a resolve just as firm as they had.
“Only then can we realise the dream envisioned by our predecessors of seeing India become a ‘Vishwaguru’,” he added.
“I always remind our current generation of workers that we have inherited a highly favourable environment. Today, our party’s ideology has reached every street, neighbourhood, town, hamlet and village. Our development schemes, too, have reached every household, street, and locality,” he said.
He asserted that given these favourable circumstances, it is their duty to strengthen the party even further.
Nabin credited BJP’s ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya’s philosophy of ‘Antyodaya’ with shaping the government’s pro-poor schemes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, contrasting them with earlier efforts which, he said, “failed to wipe the wrinkles of poverty” from the faces of the poor.
The BJP chief also remembered Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on the occasion and called on BJP workers to take inspiration from his ideals and contributions.
He urged all party workers to reflect not only on the ideas of their seniors but also on their simplicity and dedication. “Today, it is essential that we, too, approach our party work with that same spirit and principles,” he said.
“Together with you, I take a vow that we will strive to build and advance the BJP, aligning it with their vision, struggles and the dream they held,” Nabin added.
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