Mumbai:
Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had a word of advice -- underscoring the areas that need attention -- in his traditional Vijaya Dashami address.
"We need to pay attention to the farmers, agriculture, labourers, artisans and the cooperative sector. We need feedback from the ground on what's happening to policies. Continued dialogue with all sections an absolute necessity," he said.
It is also important to reduce the costs of education and standardise it, he said. "Many experiments with education are on in our country. We need to summarise all these and evolve a model. We need basic changes in text and content."
There was a word of praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi too. "Mudra Bank, Jan Dhan, cooking gas subsidy surrender, Clean India and skill development -- these are positive initiatives which will bring holistic and sustainable development," he said.
Compared to the earlier atmosphere of the dejection, a new enthusiasm has gripped the nation, Mr Bhagwat said.
"Over the last year and a half, India had re-established its connections with many countries and its prestige has shot up," he said. "We have formulated clear, aware, unbreakable policies... and pitched in wherever there has been a crisis -- the Nepal quake, Maldives water crisis, the evacuation of foreign nationals in Yemen."
"But in doing this, India has never sacrificed its interests. We can't have affectionate, familial ties at any cost," he added. "Pakistan's enmity, China's expansionism, growing problem of ISIS, are all external challenges and then there are internal challenges too."