UK-India Week 2018: 'BJP will win over 300 seats in 2019 election', says Piyush Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday predicted that the BJP would win over 300 seats in the 2019 general election and clinch a majority with its coalition partners.

Addressing the concluding day of the two-day UK-India Leadership Conclave in Latimer in Buckinghamshire via a live video-link from Delhi, Goyal said "On the back of our achievements, I believe the BJP will get more than 300 seats in the 2019 election."

The minister also expressed confidence that double-digit growth rate was "not impossible at all" for India, given the country's demographic dividend and aspirational middle class."The infrastructure push by the government will help the economy prepare for double digit growth... Indian manufacturing is also set to leapfrog into more modern structures," he said.

Using a railways analogy, the senior BJP leader alleged that a fragile economy left by the previous Congress-led government had been brought back on the rails by the Narendra Modi-led government.

"We never had the pride of place in the global economy that we have today. In almost every respect, India is becoming more and more attractive to global investors," he said.

"Another attraction is that India is becoming an honest economy and not having to worry about corruption in high places," he said.

About the problems in the Indian banking sector, Goyal said, "We don't shove banking stress under the carpet; it's important that the Indian banking sector gets the support it needs. We are working to ensure the Indian banking system is strong and viable."

"India with its demographic dividend and aspirational middle class, we have a huge market demand; getting double-digit growth is not impossible at all Logistics costs becoming competitive in India will be crucial to achieving higher growth rates Infrastructure push will help economy prepare for double-digit growth, he said.

"Manufacturing is the next big ticket coming back into the Indian economy Indian manufacturing will leapfrog into more modern structures. India offers a huge marketplace to become world leaders in electric vehicles. We have brought in structures that are transparent and honest," he added.

"India offers a huge marketplace to become world leaders in electric vehicles. We have brought in structures that are transparent and honest. India's growth in this sector has been amazing., " he further said.

"India could come up with solutions that could drive Visa and Mastercard out of business. I have immense faith in the people of India when it comes to elections. You finally have a govt which is an alternate to the Congress and a strong leader at the helm in Delhi; I believe BJP will get more than 300 seats in the 2019 election on the back of our achievements," he said.

Earlier in the session, KKR CEO Sanjay Nayar said that the Indian government has done a good job with not giving subsidies. They need to work on bank privatisation.

"As long as inflation expectations are in people's minds, people will spend it on real estate and jewellery. Inflation expectations are high; borrowing in rupees is bad and good," he said.

"At the government level, they have done a good job with not dolling out welfare schemes, he said.

Bharti Enterprises Vice-Chairman Rakesh Bharti Mittal said that "the Indian FDI regime is one of the highest liberalised policy in the world. GOI is inviting investors while many are talking of protectionism. Ease of Doing Business has helped in the laggard to do business. State governments are doing beyond what is required."

India Inc's UK-India Week 2018, being held in London and Buckinghamshire from 18-22 June, is a series of high impact events produced to take the UK-India bilateral relationship to new heights.