Modi describes Kovind's swearing-in as a significant milestone

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described Ram Nath Kovind's swearing-in as president of India as a "significant milestone" in BJP ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee's journey.

Mukherjee had formed the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) in 1951 which was subsequently christened as the BJP. Kovind, who is the BJP leader to be sworn as 14th president, was drawn to the nationalist ideology that BJS stood for after he joined Prime Minister Morarji Desai's office in 1977.

"The journey, which was started by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and during which many lakh of people sacrificed everything, has reached a significant milestone today as the new president takes oath," BJP sources quoted Modi having said this at the parliamentary party meeting in the morning. 

The BJP parliamentary party, which was also attended by party chief Amit Shah and other senior leaders, also passed a resolution condemning the "shameful" act of Congress on Monday that led to suspension of their six members of Lok Sabha. At the meeting, finance minister Arun Jaitley said that the "disruption attitude" of Congress reflected their "ideological and political bankruptcy". 

Jaitley in his speech referred to the leaked 32-page Congress document that gave insight into key issues the opposition party planned to raise in Parliament including on cow vigilantism. The leaked strategy paper too showed that Congress' disruptive mindset, the minister remarked.

Modi is also said to have pulled up partymen over wastage of votes during the presidential poll. The PM



was dismayed since despite lawmakers were educated on the process of polling many of MPs and MLAs' votes were declared invalid which curtailed BJP's plan to ensure record victory for Kovind, said a party leader.

Modi cracked whip over unsatisfactory attendance in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Sources said the PM told MPs to be present to overcome absentism especially in the Upper House. He told all the members to be present on August 5 when both the Houses vote to elect a new vice president. NDA's M Venkaiah Naidu is pitted against combined opposition's Gopal Krishna Gandhi for the election to the constitutional post.

Briefing on the meeting, Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said PM has tasked MPs to work on three causes of the poor's welfare, social harmony and good governance for empowering the common man. The lawmakers were advised by Modi to hold 15-day long 'sankalp yatra' (journey for pledge) from Independence Day requesting people to take a pledge what they could individually do to improve quality of life by 2022 when the country would celebrate 75 years of independence, Kumar told reporters.

"What will I do for the country," is the pledge the BJP workers and leaders would encourage masses to take for bringing harmony and development in the country by 2022, said a BJP leader who attended the meeting.

Modi, as per the parliamentary affairs minister, stated India had attained new heights in 70 years since Independence and the country was due to emerge as a strong power in the world when it turns 75.