Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the failures of previous Congress-led governments had made people question the efficacy of a multi-party democratic system, reported PTI. People were clueless about where the nation was heading and were wondering if the leadership had failed, he added.

“Seventy years after Independence, the people of the nation had doubts in their mind if the multi-party parliamentary democratic system had failed,” said the Bharatiya Janata Party president. “Will it be able to meet our goals? They were disappointed.” Shah was addressing an event at the All India Management Association in New Delhi.

The BJP secured a massive mandate in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It is the first single party in three decades to win majority on its own.

The Union home minister said the tenures of the Congress governments were marked by policy paralysis and the governments had no direction. “There used to be news of corruption every day, borders were insecure, soldiers were beheaded, women felt unsafe and people protested on the roads every day,” he added. “The government was politically paralysed. No decisions were taken.”

Taking a dig at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Shah said in his government every minister considered himself the prime minister while he was ignored.

The home minister said the Narendra Modi government had a “no-tolerance” approach to national security matters, reported Hindustan Times. “Some governments work for 30 years and take one big decision but our government worked for five years and took over 50 major decisions, including GST, demonetisation, airstrikes, etc,” Shad added. “No one else dared take it during their tenure.”

Shah said the situation in Kashmir had been peaceful since the state’s special constitutional status was revoked on August 5. He also claimed that not a single bullet had been fired in the state since then.

The BJP president also allayed fears of a growth slowdown, and said difficulties caused by economic reforms would be over soon.

“I agree there are many teething problems in initial phases,” PTI quoted him as saying. “Which reform doesn’t have teething problems? Such problems are being continuously rectified but it is also true that only those citizens who are ready to bear some initial difficulty have the right to enjoy the fruits of reforms later.” He added that India would surely be a $5-trillion economy by 2024.

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this article stated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said people were wondering if multi-party democracy had failed in India. The home minister was alluding to the doubts created in the minds of people by the alleged failures of previous Congress governments. The headline has been updated for clarity.