New Delhi: BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday defended the policies of the Narendra Modi Government and asserted, "Policies need not be decided by people's preferences but should be beneficial to people." Addressing a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) conference here on Saturday, Shah said that the BJP-NDA government would provide a stable policy regime for the next 30 years.
"The incumbent government in three years has completely transformed the thought processes of the people and has been successful in creating 'Brand India'," he asserted. "Our vision and mission is to push the reforms agenda to its logical conclusion so that it leads to transformative changes in the economy and the lives of the people," Shah explained.
Demonetisation, he said, was a perfect example of the efforts of the Government to delink development-for-all from vote bank pressures. It would increase the size of the formal economy and has increased the taxpayers' number from 3.7 crore during the last 65 years to 6.3 crore in the last three years. "I definitely believe that the formal economy has increased due to demonetisation. Money lying at various places is now part of the economy," he said.
The BJP chief also made scathing attack on the previous UPA regime and said, "Before 2014 there was all-round despondency, especially on the economic front as indicated by the GDP numbers dipping from 8 per cent to 4.7… and the investment climate was under a cloud."
"Even leakages in subsidies were rampant. As much as Rs 59,000 crore worth of subsidies was siphoned off under corruption. Now, from 8.5 crore people in 2014, direct benefit transfers have reached over 36 crore people today," Shah avouched further.
The GST roll-out is the most notable reform with a consensual agreement of all state governments and political parties on board, Shah pointed out. "The 'One-Tax, One-Nation' reform measure will address the problem of regional development imbalance and within 15 years, there would be all-round development of the country."