BENGALURU,APRIL 2: Expansion of BJP’s base in states where they have minimal presence, especially in South India, and ways to propagate the work of the NDA government will be the main focus of the party’s two-day National Executive meeting beginning in Bengaluru on April 3.
The two-day National Executive meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be in Bengaluru for three days, party President Amit Shah, and other top leaders, like LK Advani.
The meeting of the recently-revamped National Executive will be preceded by the Office-Bearers’ meeting in Bengaluru today.
Besides its 111 members, some permanent and special invitees of the National Executive, including chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states, state presidents, and all former chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP will also be present at the two-day meet beginning on Friday.
“We will be adopting an action plan to expand the party’s base…particularly seven states – Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala,” BJP General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao told reporters in Bengaluru.
The Executive, which last met in August 2014, when it ratified the appointment of Amit Shah as party chief, was originally planned to be held in Bengaluru in January this year, but was put off as PM Modi was preoccupied with preparations for the visit of US President Barack Obama.
Mr Rao said the action plan would also address the issue of making the party powerful and “Number One organisation” in these states.
“In the last elections we have garnered significant percentage of votes, but becoming the number one party in these states is the target with which we will be going ahead. So, for that an action plan will be finalised in this meeting,” he said.
The meeting would also discuss an action plan to reach out to people on the achievements of Narendra Modi government.
“The meeting also will discuss how to reach out to people – taking the achievements of the government under Narendra Modi, particularly pro-farmers and pro-youth. All these issues will be discussed threadbare and action plan be prepared,” he said.
Mr Rao said before adopting an action plan, it would discuss the future consolidation of the BJP.
“After our party became the largest political outfit in the world by breaking the record previously held by the Communist Party of China, the meeting will discuss about the future consolidation of the party,” he said.
The meeting will also work out plans to celebrate next year the centenary of the Deendayal Upadhyaya, stalwart of erstwhile Jan Sangh, the forerunner of the present day BJP.
“He was a revered icon of Integral Humanism. He was an ideologue and a guiding force for an alternative model of governance and politics,” Mr Rao said.
Karnataka BJP President Prahalad Joshi said PM Modi would address a public rally in Bengaluru on April 3. He will arrive this evening and be in the city till April 4.
It will be the fourth time Karnataka is hosting the BJP national executive, he said.
Party sources said the meeting is likely to endorse two resolutions which will touch upon the “successful” foreign policy initiatives of the government, its social security endeavours which found a mention in its first full-fledged budget besides the “political successes” of the BJP since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The conclave will be opened with the inaugural address by the party Chief. The last day will see the valedictory address by the Prime Minister, besides another address by party veteran LK Advani and Mr Shah.
The last day will also see a political resolution that is expected to highlight key political, economic and social security issues in the country and steps taken by the government, the sources said.
With the government going ahead with the Land Ordinance after its unsuccessful attempt to get the new bill passed in Parliament amid stiff opposition by various opposition parties, the BJP top brass is likely to impress upon its members to take across the message of the government that it is a pro-farmer step aimed at ensuring all-round development of rural India and ensure progress of farmers.
The government is keen that this message is taken down to the grassroot level, especially among the farmers, that the new bill is in favour of development and progress of farmers and the country.
