Dalit outreach, outlining policies on govt’s agenda
BJP will establish contacts with 1 lakh intellectuals – through a special drive – to brief them about the achievements of the Narendra Modi government and make another bid to reach out to Dalits, a BJP office bearer said on condition of anonymity.
These, and more, are part of the 17-day-long celebration to mark the fourth anniversary of Narendra Modi government on May 26. Modi will address a public meeting at Cuttack in Odisha on May 26, BJP chief Amit Shah said. The celebration will continue till June 11.
The 4,000 senior BJP leaders, such as Union ministers and MPs, will approach 25 intellectuals like retired judges, former civil servants, and other eminent people to spread the word about the achievements of the government, general secretary Arun Singh said in a letter to party leaders. “Shah will launch this event by personally approaching some intellectuals,” Singh said.
Another BJP leader said, “We want to win the perception battle about the performance of the Modi government. There intellectuals, when informed about Modi’s achievement, can effectively take the message forward.”
A day-long Samrasta Sampark (harmony connect) will be organised to reach out to Dalits. There is also a proposal of a gram sabha programme in tribal villages.
The Modi government was on the back foot after the death of more than half a dozen people in protests during countrywide shutdown on April 2 in opposition of the Supreme Court’s March 20 order banning immediate arrests under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Opposition had also blamed the Centre for a delay in filing of a review petition on April 2 against a March 20 order of the apex court.
“A special drive will be carried out across the country on a day during the celebration to clean and garland the statue of all prominent leaders at public places,” Singh said in his letter. The BJP was also under attack from its rivals after a statue of Russian communist revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin was razed in Tripura in March, within days of the BJP taking over power from the CPM that ruled it for 25 years.
The event led to vandalism of statues of BR Ambedkar and Jan Sangh leader, Shyama Prasad Mookrjee, leading to tensions in parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and other states.
A bike rally by Mumbai MP Poonam Mahajan-led BJP’s youth wing, a connect-programme for senior citizens, conference of the beneficiaries of the central government schemes, an intellectuals’ meet, and booth mobilisation programmes are other events planned during the anniversary event. BJP chief Amit Shah had recently asked workers to be proud of the government’s “achievements” and had given a ‘meri sarkar, achchi sarkar’ (my government is a good government) slogan.
NEWDELHI:The