Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a major political party in India that was founded in 1980. The party is associated with Hindu nationalism and advocates conservative social policies, self-reliance, free market economics, foreign policy driven by a nationalist agenda, and strong national defence. The BJP, in alliance with several other parties, was in power from 1998 to 2004, with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister and Lal Krishna Advani as his deputy. It is the biggest constituent of the National Democratic Alliance which is currently in the opposition.
The BJP opposes Article 370 of the constitution which gives the state of Jammu and Kashmir special status. The article specifies that except for Defence, Foreign Affairs, Finance and Communications, the Indian Parliament needs the State Government's agreement for applying all other laws. The state's residents lived under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to other Indians. The BJP affirms unequivocally India's sovereignty over the whole of Jammu and Kashmir, including the areas under foreign occupations. The NDA, led by the BJP were responsible for the Prevention of Terrorist Activities act, which provided the legal framework to strengthen administrative rights to fight terrorism and the strengthening of the National Investigative Agency. The Congress repealed this act in 2004 due to evidence that it had been grossly abused. The NDA also signed the South Asia Free Trade Agreement with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 2004. The BJP also proposes that every citizen have a National identity card as it will strengthen national security by ensuring accurate citizen identity, thereby tracking illegal immigration.
The BJP has been involved in many controversies- one of which is the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat where it is said that Chief Minister Narendra Modi helped the Hindu mobs. Also, the party has been criticized for its involvement in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement which culminated in the destruction of the Babri Masjid in favor of building the Ram Janmabhoomi temple
