Senior BJP leaders went to Gandhi Maidan on Monday on the eve of the party’s workers’ conclave to see the last minute preparations. With the party pining great hope on this event, it believes that the conclave would send a strong message to the people of poll-bound Bihar in favour of the BJP and against the “unholy” merger of JD(U) and RJD. The workers conclave christened as ‘Karyakarta Samagam’ will be addressed among others by BJP president Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.
Before having a look at the spacious Maidan and the dais where hundreds of labourers are working to give it a finishing touch, former Deputy CM Sushil Kumar, leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav and State BJP president Mangal Pandey told the media people that about two lakh party workers drawn from all the 60,000 polling stations spread over 243 Assembly seats will attend the event and go back to the people with a message on why they should vote for the BJP.
“The party has printed 2 lakh four-page folders which have listed the Centre’s help to Bihar and goes on to explain how the State would benefit from the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission and that the land Acquisition Bill would help the farmers,” said Modi, adding that each worker would be given this folder to study and educate the masses in their respective villages and blocks. He said it would be a public rally and the number of participation has been fixed from each polling booth. Pandey added that from each booth three party workers would be attending the meeting.
Big hoardings and banners besides welcome arches have covered almost entire Patna and the local administration is taking no risk in making elaborate security arrangements by sealing the roads leading to Maidan. It is to be recalled that on October 27, 2013, a series of blasts had rocked the same Maidan when Narendra Modi came to address the rally which left at least five people dead and several injured. “The security should be the concern of the State Government and I am hopeful that it took some lessons from the previous happenings,” said Modi
Since the convention is being organised on the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the BJP would make it a point to highlight how JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo lalu Prasad humiliated a Mahadalit, Jitan Ram Manjhi. Modi had claimed that people belonging to backward classes are hurt and angry with this treatment and would not vote for the Janata alliance. “I don’t know if they would vote for the BJP but one thing is for sure that they would not vote for Nitish and lalu,” said Modi, adding that in the last lok Sabha election the Mahadalit had voted enbloc for the JD(U).
Pandey said all the BJP Union Ministers from Bihar, all MPs, legislators and other senior leaders would address the Samagam and the workers would take pledge to uproot the Nitish Government. He said the party has almost reached the target of 75 lakh members in the State and may go beyond the target. “Our meeting will have implications on State politics and will create an atmosphere for the election,” he added.
Yadav said this is the first time that a political party is holding a workers’ conclave on such a large scale. He also congratulated PM Narednra Modi for remembering Bihar even during his foreign tour by presenting a Madhubani painting to the lord Mayor of Hanover on Sunday.