New Delhi, July 12: With Lok Sabha debacle weighing heavily on the party, BJP chief Rajnath Singh on Sunday asked the youth wing not to be disappointed and remain firm on the ideology of cultural nationalism despite the electoral reverses, saying that "our time will come again".
"We are proud of being part of a party that has a strong ideological base. I can say with confidence that no other party today can boast of an ideology which governs it," Singh said while inaugurating the two-day national executive meeting of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha here.
"Our ideology is of cultural nationalism which gives inspiration to the party, and this cannot be measured on the parameters of electoral gains or losses," he said.
The BJP president said that though the polls results "were not as per our expectations, these should not disappoint us. With Congress getting 206 seats and BJP 116, while all other parties managing to get just around 20 odd seats, goes on to show that the nation is moving towards a bi-polar polity and our time will come again".
Singh also sought to reject the "communal" tag attached to the party by its rivals.
"We accepted the ideology of cultural nationalism to build a strong nation as we also believe in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. And how can a party like BJP which follows such a strong path of inclusive approach and nation building, be termed as communal?" the BJP president wondered.
Singh`s views came in the background of the party`s recent decision to tone down its ideology of radical Hindutva during its national executive meeting held last month to analyse the Lok Sabha elections results. Asking BJYM president Amit Thakkar to spread the membership drive of the youth wing across all religious communities, Rajnath Singh said that even if some sections of the society are not BJP supporters, BJYM should try and approach them with their ideas in order to expand the party`s base.
"The need of the hour is to expand one`s mental horizons and only then one can achieve the desired results," the senior BJP leader said.
He advised the BJYM cadres gathered at the meeting, to remain level-headed even in times of crisis and self doubt.
"It is good to be ambitious, but at the same time one should not feel insecure if one does not get the desired results despite making efforts. Whatever position you earn in the party, give it your best shot, don`t jump the gun, be patient and work hard, your time will come," Singh said.
Earlier, Thakkar while addressing the BJYM cadres, said that though BJP does not have "well groomed" young MPs belonging to affluent families, the party has managed to send 30 young promising lawmakers to Parliament this time who are less than 45 years old.
"They may not belong to affluent families but they hold out a lot of promise for the future, despite coming from simple backgrounds," Thakkar said.
Bureau Report
