Amit Shah’s Mahendragarh visit to be morale booster for cadre: BJP leaders
Ravinder Saini
Mahendragarh, July 14
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Mahendragarh to address the state-level Other Backward Class (OBC) Sammelan here on July 16 is being considered by BJP leaders as a morale- boosting exercise for the party workers. They say it will also be instrumental in strengthening its support base among the people, especially those belonging to the OBCs, ahead of the Assembly poll.
The event also assumes significance as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini recently announced a hike in the OBC creamy layer income limit from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh and a considerable hike in the reservation for the OBC category from 15 per cent to 27 per cent to woo the electors of this category.
“The party workers’ morale seems to be little bit down following the below-expected performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha poll in the state and no appointment on many political posts lying vacant for a long time. In such a situation, Shah’s second visit to Haryana within 20 days will definitely boost their confidence further and encourage them to toil hard for the upcoming Assembly poll,” said a BJP leader.
The party leadership has selected Mahendragarh, a part of the Ahirwal region being dominated by the Yadavs belonging to the OBC, for the OBC Sammelan while keeping in view the political significance of the area for the party, which has been performing well in Ahirwal, for the past two Assembly elections.
“The BJP enjoys a good support base in Ahirwal with five out of seven MLAs in Mahendragarh and Rewari districts. Both times, Ahirwal played a vital role in the formation of the BJP government in the state, so the party leadership intends to repeat the performance in the region for the third time. That’s why, the party leadership has chosen Mahendragarh for the event and is also leaving no stone unturned to make it successful,” said another BJP leader.
He said, “The BJP has got significant votes of the OBCs in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in the state and is expecting the same or much better response from the OBCs in the upcoming Assembly poll, hence the OBC Sammelan means a lot for the party politically in the prevailing situation. For this reason, the party leadership has asked all its leaders, especially belonging to the OBCs, to ensure a massive turnout at the event, he added.
Saini along with newly appointed BJP state chief Mohan Lal Badoli reached Mahendragarh last evening and took stock of the preparations for the OBC Sammelan. They also held a meeting of the local party leaders and workers there and exhorted them to ensure a huge gathering at the event.
Meanwhile, former minister Ram Bilas Sharma said before the Assembly poll in 2014, Shah had sounded poll bugle by addressing a rally in Mahendragarh. That paved the way for the formation of the BJP government in the state, he added.
“The OBC Sammelan will also prove instrumental in ensuring the party’s victory in the upcoming Assembly poll,” he claimed.
