Reach booth level, brief people on development: Shah to BJP leaders

BJP leaders during meeting with party president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Monday.
BJP leaders during meeting with party president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Monday.
  • Nadda reviews poll strategy, party working
  • JK top brass apprise HM, party chief on people’s issues

Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Sept 25: Union Home Minister Amit Shah today called upon the BJP senior leaders to reach right up to booth level to brief the people about large scale development works undertaken by the Central and UT Governments during last four years after abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir and start preparations for elections.
“The Narendra Modi Government at the Centre and UT Government have taken up lot of development works and launched various pro-people schemes which the BJP leaders should explain to the people by undertaking visits at grassroots level,” Shah is reported to have said while chairing BJP J&K senior leaders meeting at his residence in New Delhi this afternoon.
The meeting that lasted two hours was attended among others by BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda, BJP general secretary (Organizations) BL Santosh, Union MoS in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh, Tarun Chug, general secretary (Incharge Jammu and Kashmir, Ashish Sood, co-Incharge, Jugal Kishore Sharma, MP, UT chief Ravinder Raina, J&K general secretary (Organizations) Ashok Koul, Kavinder Gupta and Nirmal Singh, former Deputy Chief Ministers, Devender Singh Rana, DK Manyal, Vibodh Gupta, Sunil Sharma and Sat Sharma.
Late in the evening, BJP president Nadda and BL Santosh took separate meeting of the J&K BJP leaders to discuss further strengthening of the organization to win upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir comprehensively.
As per the party leaders, the Union Home Minister is reported to have said that Jammu and Kashmir is the only State/UT where the Central Government has given two AIIMS, IIM, IIT, many Medical Colleges and initiated various big projects and schemes, many of them Centrally sponsored.
“This message should reach every house that the BJP Government has done a lot for the people. The BJP leaders should go to booth level and explain development of Jammu and Kashmir during last four years,” Shah said in his interaction with the senior BJP leaders.
He said Jammu and Kashmir is the only State/UT where every family is covered under Ayushman Bharat Scheme and this message must reach to the people.
The Home Minister is reported to have called upon the BJP leaders to further strengthen the organization ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
As per the party leaders, some of the BJP leaders presented their viewpoint on political situation as well as working of the Government in Jammu and Kashmir and maintained that the party is ready to face any election at any time in the UT as people are with them.
“Sometimes the Congress creates wrong narratives on few issues but people of the Jammu region remain committed to the BJP,” they said, adding whenever the elections are held the BJP will emerge victorious.
Shah said all issues pertaining to the administration should be brought into the notice of officers by the party cadre for addressing them so that the people don’t suffer.
Late in the evening, BJP chief JP Nadda and national general secretary (Organizations) BL Santosh chaired a meeting of the party leaders and discussed further strengthening of the party and its all frontal wings to do well in the elections. The BJP leaders briefed the party chief about the organizational structure and activities in Jammu and Kashmir besides issues faced by the people.
“An in-depth discussion was held about elections especially the Parliamentary polls which are just six to seven months away now and the BJP wants to take its tally from two to three in Jammu and Kashmir,” the party leaders said.
The BJP leaders invited Nadda and other senior functionaries to visit Jammu and Kashmir to review the party activities.
Lok Sabha elections are also almost six months away from now and the BJP wants to take no chance and will gear up well in advance for them. In 2014 and 2019, the BJP had won Udhampur-Doda and Jammu-Poonch seats with Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma emerging the winners.
The BJP, as per the insiders, has been eyeing third seat this time which is South Kashmir-Poonch which was created with districts comprising parts of South Kashmir like Anantnag and Pulwama besides Poonch district and half of Rajouri district by the Delimitation Commission. This seat has large number of Pahari voters to whom the Central Government is going to give Scheduled Tribe (ST) status before Parliamentary polls. In case of usual low turnout in the Valley, the BJP sees a chance to get this seat too.