Kochi: In a veiled dig at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, senior BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said that Congress' fortunes are bound to go down further in the absence of 'a strong leadership'.
Noting that "there are dangers of dynasties", Jaitley said "the strength of that party or the weakness of that party depends on strength of its current political leader."
"If you have a stronger leader, then the party will reach to power. If the particular leader is the kind that the Congress party has today, then the party sinks with the dynasty," the BJP leader said in an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi.
Hailing the leadership of Narendra Modi, Jaitley, who strongly stood behind the then Gujarat Chief Minister during his race for the post of Prime Ministerial candidate, said when 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign was planned, the BJP had realised that his personal popularity was even higher than the popularity of the party.
"How did Modiji become Prime Minister of India? For 10 years they had a campaign against him. He defied that campaign, every criticism made him stronger, and people said he is the man who has the capacity.
"I must tell you, when the campaign was being planned, we suddenly realised that his personal popularity was even higher than the popularity of the party. And therefore, people wanted him to become the Prime Minister," he said, addressing a special convention of BJP workers here.
Hitting out at parties following the dynasty politics, Jaitley said the BJP was a democratic party and leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shyamaprasad Mukherjee, L K Advani and Narendra Modi emerged as its tall leaders through their hardwork and not because of any family background.
He also attacked the Communists, saying they were ideologically "rejected" by the people.
"Shrinking of Left in the country...It is a hard reality," Jaitley said and asked the Kerala BJP headed by V Muraleedharan to utilise the opportunity for the growth of the party in the state.
