The mood in Visakhapatnam was a jostling one. The audience was restless in excitement. The BJP president J.P. Nadda was in the center of the event, whose voice was full of pride and determination. All his words sounded as a way reverberating through the grounds not merely as a political message but as a narcissism of the party journey and the expectations of the people who had turned up to listen.
His declaration was daring: BJP expanded to become the largest political party in the world, 14 crore members including 2 crore active workers. To the mob it was not merely a figure, but an indication of the distance their party had traveled.
Nadda did not limit himself to statistics. He gave the view of the strength that BJP has elected members in the country 240 MPs in the Lok Sabha, almost 1,500 MLAs, and over 170 MLCs. He proclaimed, with pride and gratitude, that it was the largest representative party in the country. He credited the entire credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who in his view, in the present government, substituted the politics of corruption with the politics of performance.
A lot of his warmth was towards Andhra Pradesh. He gave glorious remarks about the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and assured the state that the Centre was with it. Nadda announced about 15,000 crore of money allocated to the development of Amaravati and 11,000 crore loan by HUDCO to enhance capital projects. He enumerated new medical colleges, improve railway lines, and Vande Bharat trains as evidence of how Modi liked the people of Andhra. Nadda said that Prime Minister Modi had this state in his heart, and many people in the crowd smiled and nodded their heads.
Without sharp contrasts his speech was not devoid of. Nadda attacked the previous YSRCP administration for having brought the state to ruin and corruption in the years 2019 to 2024. Through this he attempted to demonstrate how the NDA government had taken Andhra to an entirely new stage of growth and development.
As his words were making a ripple at home, there was something perceptible abroad. China was silent despite the big boasts by India about political mightiness, it is quick to respond when India takes a certain step. No remark, no criticism, no recognition. To most viewers, such silence was interesting. It was not a sign of disapproval or approval but was a reminder that regardless of the silence India is the country that is under scrutiny by its neighbour.
And when Nadda ended his speech he shifted his attention to the party workers who had crowded in large numbers. His tone had been lowered a notch further when he reminded them that the BJP did not succeed on leaders alone but on the hard work of crores of workers. He said, “You must gain the faith and affection of people. Through you we have had the capability to propel the progress of the nation.
The meeting ended in cheers, yet responsibility. To the BJP it was not just a party about size but an assurance about size and to serve more and spread the message of performance to every village and city. And they made a small slice to the story of the day when, in the background, as the world took notice, China preferred to keep silent.
