Chennai, 28-29 December, 1999
For most part of this millennium, which ends in another year, India was not a master of her own destiny ..
We have the highest number of MPs belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes ...
Disproving all the vicious propaganda against us, our Government has achieved an exemplary record of communal peace ... We are now well on our way to becoming India's natural party of governance.
Our party now has the opportunity, and the obligation, to give a new direction to politics and governance in India. We can succeed in this task, provided we remain committed and loyal to the ideals and the ideology that brought us into existence as a political party - first as the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 and later as the Bharatiya Janata Party in1980. Although the ideals are constant, the policies and their interpretation in the light of the changing needs of new situations and challenges, have to be renewed from time to time. This quality of principle-centred flexibility, adaptability, and self-renewal, while being true to one's essential nature and purpose, is the hallmark of any living human organisation. The BJPJ, and earlier the Jana Sangh, has demonstrated this quality in ample measure. .
The BJP, which has replaced the Congress as the principal pole of Indian politics, is conscious of its responsibility to give India a new political culture ... We are committed to the objective of transforming India's Swaraj (self-governance), debt-free economy and confrontation-free polity ...
We believe in a modern India and a moral India ... An India without either social or regional disparities and imbalances ... We are committed to protecting and promoting the interests of India and,. therefore, of all Indians - irrespective of gender, caste, region on religion ...
.. India has always been one and in divisive geographically, culturally and civilisationally. India is home to many religions and several languages and dialects ... We are proud of this rich diversity, which is a source of India's strength, not of weakness. But there is a silken thread that binds us together - and that silken thread is our national identity, our Bharatiyata (Indianness). We reject the thesis that India is a "multi-national" entity. If we have survived centuries of aggression and colonial rule in our pre-independence history ... it is because India has always been one country with one people, with a common national identity and a common cultural heritage. This, simply put, is what is meant by Cultural Nationalism ..
.. We shall remain committed to protecting India's secular character, which is integral to our civilisation and which imparts to it its unique greatness. We reject western and communist notions of secularism, whose true meaning is 'Sarva Panth Samaadar' (Equal respect for all faiths). We remain opposed to theocracy in any form.
The key to building a strong country, a confident and prosperous society, and a resurgent nation is mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. We shall never allow inter-faith differences to come in the way of nation-building. We believe that all long-pending inter-faith issues can be resolved through dialogue based on trust and a concern for the larger national good. Minorities, whether linguistic or religious, are an integral part of the "Great Indian Family". We need to nourish them so that a time comes when India shall be free of artificial divisions like majority and minority
.. The BJP expresses the confidence that every party worker understands that our agenda for governance is the National Agenda for Good Governance.
The party's spectacular growth in recent years has been because of its ability to expand its appeal into newer social and geographical spaces. The party shall consolidate its growth in these spaces ... The BJP's onward march depends critically on its ability to reach out to those sections of Indian society who have, for various reasons, remained uninfluenced by its appeal. It has, especially, become necessary to expand the party's support base among religious minorities, who are an integral part of our society. The party shall thoroughly review its existing relationship with religious minorities consistent with its resolve to strengthen Indian nationhood. Based on a sincere and principled approach of espousing and redressing their issues in a just and non-appeasement manner, the BJP shall make intensified efforts to increase its support base among religious minorities.
The triad of universal education, universal employment and universal opportunities for participation in youthful activities is the best guarantor ... for rekindling in them the natural qualities of idealism, patriotism and voluntarism. A new National Youth Policy, fully reflecting the necessary steps in these three areas, should be formulated soon. The laudable scheme of the National Reconstruction Corps (Rasthra Punarnirmaan Vahni), which was launched last year, should be effectively implemented all over the country ...
The BJP urges the Government to bring in statutory provisions for implementation, after a specific date, of a strict two-child criterion for induction and promotion in government services. Similarly, persons have more than two children should be barred, after a certain date, from fielding themselves as candidates in any election, from Panchayat to Parliament.
.... Issues of national security - internal or external - can no longer be separated from cross-border terrorism, religious fanaticism, infiltration by Bangladeshis and their settlement in the border States of the North-East and West Bengal as also in UP and Bihar along the Nepal border, illegal overstay of a large number of Pakistani nationals ...
The hand of the ISI can be seen in many of these nefarious activities ... It is the duty of every citizen and every community to discharge their due responsibility in this regard. And it is the duty of the Government to facilitate the enthusiastic participation of citizens and communities in strengthening our security ...
Continue the multi-pronged strategy to bring about peace and normalcy in J&K. The Government should tackle the Pakistan-aided terrorist and separatist groups with an iron hand ... At the same time, the Centre and the State Government should accelerate their joint efforts to implement developmental projects, create greater employment, promote tourism, rebuild the educational establishment and promote people's welfare. Creating a corruption-free environment and increasing the democratic participation of the people in the State's governance are very important for the success of our Kashmir strategy. The test of peace and normalcy in Kashmir is the honourable return of all the refugees.
