"BJP will play crucial role in country's continued development": Hardeep Puri on party's Foundation Day

New Delhi [India], April 6 (ANI): Union Minister and senior BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri celebrated the BJP Foundation Day by reflecting on the party's evolution and its contributions to India's growth and said that the ruling party will play a crucial role as the country rises further toward greater development in the coming years.
"India will rise further, and the BJP will have a crucial role in it," he said.
Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader reminisced about the early days of the party, recalling how it began with just two MPs in the Lok Sabha.
After the 1984-85 General Election, the BJP had just two members in the Lok Sabha while Congress had 426 members. It was also the time when Indira Gandhi was assassinated, and the Congress converted sympathy into many votes.
The two BJP MPs who won the 1984 election amid the Congress wave were Dr AK Patel, who won from Mehsana in Gujarat, and Chandupatla Janga Reddy, who won from Hanamkonda in Andhra Pradesh.
"Normally, it is said that the party has grown to be bigger since the time of the Jan Sangh. My affiliation with the party is very old," he said, pointing to the BJP's rise from modest beginnings to securing an absolute majority in 2014 under Prime Minister Modi's leadership.
Puri emphasized that while the BJP is currently the largest political party globally, its contributions to social transformation have been equally remarkable.
"There are very few parallels to what we have achieved in terms of social service and transformation, both in history and the world," he added.
The Union Minister also highlighted the historical challenges India faced during British rule, which severely impacted the nation's development.
"We were under British rule for almost 190 years, and we had developmental challenges. Before the Battle of Plassey, India and China combined contributed 50 per cent of the global economy. India alone is believed to have had around 25-27 per cent, but in 190 years, it fell to 2 per cent," he noted.
Puri expressed optimism about India's future economic growth, underlining the vision of "Viksit Bharat" as outlined by PM Modi.
"In the days to come, India will rise further, and the BJP will have a crucial role in it," he concluded, signaling the party's continued commitment to the country's progress and development.

Hardeep Singh Puri also offered floral tribute to the founders of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Deendayal Upadhyaya, on the 45th foundation of Bharatiya Janta Party, the successor party of BJS.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Sunday paid heartfelt tributes to the founding fathers and senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the occasion of the party's Foundation Day.
In a post shared on the social media platform X, the Union Minister expressed deep gratitude toward the party's pioneers, acknowledging their sacrifices and dedication in building and expanding the BJP."Today, on the 'Foundation Day' of the Bharatiya Janata Party, I pay my heartfelt tributes to all the founding fathers and senior leaders of the organization, who nurtured the creation and expansion of the party with their blood and sweat and remained constantly engaged with it with all their heart and soul," the post read.
Further, he also extended his best wishes to the party workers across the country, recognising their tireless efforts at the grassroots level that helped the BJP grow into the world's largest political party.
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Nadda stated that the government remains committed to the vision of a 'developed India.'
"In the last decade, under the able leadership of respected Prime Minister Shri@narendramodiji, our government is committed to building a 'developed India' along with realizing the resolution of Antyodaya. Today, on this auspicious day, I appeal to millions of my@BJP4Indiaworkers to be determined to establish Mother India at the pinnacle of glory and make their valuable contribution in the progress of every section of the society," the post further read.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is celebrating its 37th foundation day today. Currently, the largest political party in India, the BJP, was founded in 1980.
After the landslide victory in the 2014 General Election, today, the BJP is the largest political party in terms of elected representatives and the biggest political party in the world.
In 2019, Bharatiya Janata Party received the highest vote share by a political party since the 1989 general election, and won 303 seats, further increasing its substantial majority. In addition, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 353 seats.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 240 seats while the Congress secured win on 99 seats. The BJP fell 32 seats short of the 272 majority mark after votes polled in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were counted.
The BJP was originally founded as the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 under the leadership of Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
The party gained significant momentum under leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani, eventually rising to power in the 1990s. It has remained a dominant force in Indian politics since then. (ANI)