New Delhi [India], August 4 (ANI): BJP leaders on Tuesday said the NDA Parliamentary Party’s weekly ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting focused on employment generation, economic growth and youth empowerment, with presentations highlighting India’s progress under the Central Government over the past decade.

Speaking after the meeting, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said members were briefed on various developmental initiatives being undertaken across the country. “In today’s Mangal Milan program, information was shared about many auspicious works being carried out in the country. The opposition is creating a ruckus, not allowing any discussion to take place, but the bills that we need to get passed are getting passed. Today, all of us have made the decision that we must remain present. Our presence on that bill is our discussion for us,” he said.

Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal said the discussions centred on India’s performance in sports and employment. “Today was very good. Discussions were held on two topics today. One, what we are doing in sports, especially the presence of India in the Glasgow Commonwealth Championships… On the employment side, how our country is moving forward rapidly, the way the employment ratio is increasing, employment rate is increasing, unemployment ratio is decreasing, a detailed account was given,” he said.

Mittal added that the presentation compared the country’s progress over the past 10 years with the previous decade and also highlighted India’s performance vis-a-vis other countries. “I think every Indian should know how India’s employment is increasing rapidly,” he said.

Sharing details of the presentations, BJP MP Damodar Agarwal said Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya gave a detailed account of employment, economic growth and changes in the country’s economic structure under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. “It highlighted how the country’s growth rate, employment rate, the falling unemployment rate, and the economic structure have changed at such a rapid pace under the Prime Minister’s vision over the last 12 years,” he said.

Another BJP MP, Dinesh Sharma, also underscored the government’s development initiatives, saying India had witnessed rapid progress, with an improvement in the employment ratio and over 25 crore people being lifted out of poverty. He said NDA leaders were committed to sustaining the country’s development, while alleging that the Opposition was acting as a “speed breaker.”

Meanwhile, reacting to the Bankipur Assembly bypoll result, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said the NDA has accepted the verdict but cautioned against drawing broader conclusions from the outcome. Referring to the 2009 Bihar bypolls, he said the NDA had lost 12 of 17 seats before returning to power with an 89 per cent strike rate in the 2010 Assembly elections.

The NDA Parliamentary Party’s ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting was held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other NDA leaders in attendance at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament Library Building. BJP National President Nitin Nabin was also in attendance at the meeting being held at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament Library Building. (ANI)