To popularise govt policies, BJP top brass reaches 198 cities

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 25

The BJP’s carpet-bombing strategy to mark the two years of Narendra Modi government includes programmes in as many as 198 cities and top Cabinet ministers Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Manohar Parrikar.

While the Prime Minister will assume centrestage in Saharanpur on Thursday, kickstarting the programmes and sounding the bugle for the all-important Uttar Pradesh elections, top leaders will fan across the country on Friday to spread the message about policies and achievements of his government among masses.

In all, the party has constituted 33 teams for rallies and conferences by top ministers across the country. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will hold the fort along with Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in Jaipur, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be in Lucknow, Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Chennai.

Amritsar in election-bound Punjab has been assigned to Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Ram Vilas Paswan.

“On May 27, the Prime Minister will be in Shillong, while party president Amit Shah will interact with the media on the day,” said BJP general secretary Anil Jain, outlining the programmes that will continue till mid-June.

The focus will be Uttar Pradesh, which goes to the polls in 2017. On whether the Prime Minister had chosen Saharanpur keeping elections in mind, Jain said that was one of the considerations. “The Prime Minister’s programme had to begin from some place or the other. The party leadership decided on Saharanpur,” he said.