BJP will repeat its 2014 Lok Sabha poll feat in UP elections: Jaitley

BJP will repeat its 2014 Lok Sabha electoral success and form a majority government in Uttar Pradesh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday.

Addressing the 'Varanasi Vyapari Sammelan' (traders meet) in Varanasi, he hailed the Central government's demonetisation policy and said the move had won the confidence of many people.

"The demonetisation scheme was in the best interest of the countrymen. People residing in rural areas, who were once not our voters, voted for us this time due to this great step. Our party courageously took the stand on demonetisation, which will make a positive impact on the economy of the country," he said.

"The world has accepted that India's economy is the fastest growing economy," he said.

Commenting on the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the senior BJP leader said, "BJP is going to form the next government in Uttar Pradesh with full majority like it did at the Centre after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections."

He also hit out at the Opposition for targeting BJP for not having a chief ministerial face for the UP assembly elections.

Jaitley pointed out that the electorate had chosen Narendra Modi, long before he was declared the Prime Minister nominee of BJP during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the electorate of this country accepted Modiji first, afterwards our Bharatiya Janata party (workers) accepted him and at the end, our parliamentary board nominated him, and we even won the elections," he maintained.

"After 1984, it was for the first time that a political party got a clear majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls," he said, adding that history will be repeated in the UP elections.

Hitting out at the rival Congress, Jaitley said the party was reduced to winning only 44 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as it "only worked for its personal benefit, not for the nation."

"Now BJP has become the pan India party," he asserted. Jaitley also attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for "distributing tickets to criminal candidates, paving way for 'Goondaraj' (hooliganism) and doing caste-based politics."

"Akhilesh boasts of one expressway in the state, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is constructing 255 highways at half the rate of the tender given by the UP government for its expressway," he added.