By Suchitra Mukherjee
New Delhi [India], February 22 (ANI): Determined to secure the maximum number of seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of 370-plus for the party and ‘400 paar’ (beyond 400) for the NDA, the BJP has set sights on ‘GYAN’ to bring home the desired electoral harvest.
A term coined by PM Modi himself, ‘GYAN’ refers to ‘Garib’ (poor), Yuva (youth), Annadata (farmers), and Nari (women).
Earlier, in a rousing address to cadres at the party’s national headquarters in Delhi after it swept the heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, PM Modi listed poor, youth, farmers and women as the only four castes in the country as he underlined his welfare pledge going into the general elections.
On how the party plans to carry forward its outreach towards ‘GYAN’, a top BJP source told ANI on Thursday that the party was focusing on the upliftment of all four sections of the country’s population.
Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP national president JP Nadda will hit the ground running and campaign extensively as part of efforts to reach out to these four sections.
The task of taking forward and accomplishing ‘Mission GYAN’ has been given to BJP heavyweights and seniors, including the party’s national general secretary Sunil Bansal, vice-president Bijayant (Jai) Panda, general secretary Tarun Chugh, and Shivprakash.
Sources told ANI that Prime Minister Modi will address women across the country from West Bengal soon, adding, however, that the date has not been finalised yet.
The choice of venue for PM Modi’s address to women voters across the country is significant as West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali has been on the boil over the past several weeks after women, in their hundreds, came out against the ruling TMC, accusing absconding strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his henchmen of abuse and excesses.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address farmers in the Chhattisgarh capital, Raipur, on March 3. His address will coincide with the ongoing farmer protests on Delhi’s orders over a raft of demands, including a law guaranteeing MSP (minimum support price) and loan write-offs, among others.
Further, on March 4, BJP national chief JP Nadda will address the youth in Nagpur.
Carrying forward the party’s ‘GYAN’ outreach, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the backward classes at an OBC Mahasabha in Patna on March 5.
Again, on March 7, Nadda will headline an event aimed at addressing SC voters.
The party’s outreach under ‘Mission GYAN’ will conclude by March 10.
To solicit support from voters representing a cross-section of society, the BJP has been organising events for the poor, SC/ST, women, youth, and farmers. The idea is to establish direct contact with these sections and apprise them of the government’s efforts towards their welfare and well-being.
BJP leaders and cadres have been spreading out to the length and breadth of the country through events such as the farmers’ village parikrama yatra and the Kisan Chaupal programme. The party’s women’s wing, Mahila Morcha, has also linked up with women’s self-help groups in a bid to spread the word on the Centre’s welfarist push for one-half of the country’s population.
The party’s Yuva Morcha has been entrusted with the responsibility of setting up Yuva Chaupals across the country while the SC Morcha has been told to organise and conduct contact and dialogue programmes in Dalit settlements.
Ahead of notification of the dates for the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has been going all out to reach out to voters through conferences.
At the recently held BJP national convention, all programmes pertaining to the party’s poll outreach until March 10 were fleshed out and discussed.
