The Bharatiya Janata Party has started feeling heat over people’s outcry over demonetisation of high value currency notes as it has postponed the much-publicised public rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in lucknow on December 24.
The rally held importance for BJP as the four parvisratna yatras that had started from November 5 onwards is expected to culminate on December 24 in lucknow. This rally was deemed to the final Parviartan Rally.
Secondly, the rally was to be held on December 24, the eve of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday, who had represented lucknow in lok Sabha four times.
A senior leader said that initial assessment is that gathering would not be on expected lines. PM is addressing Parivartan Yatras in different locations and crowd is coming but we want something extra in lucknow, he said.
BJP’s Chief Spokesman Hridaya Narain Dixit said that the rally has been postponed to bring workers from the booth level to lucknow. Earlier directives were that leaders and workers from districts should attend the rally.
“The speculation of rally being postponed due to demonetisation of high value currency is false. There is no doubt that people are facing problems but this is a fact that people, even in rural areas, have hailed this decision. They are appreciating PM’s this bold initiative,” he said. Dixit said by postponing the rally by a week or so the party will get enough time to galvanise booth workers and motivate them to attend the rally in January.
Though no fresh date has been fixed for PM’s rally in lucknow it is expected it will be on January 3.
Instead of the PM’s rally, now the BJP could go for a road show in the state capital on December 24. It will most likely be led by Union home minister and local MP Rajnath Singh. Other senior leaders and Union ministers from UP will also take part.
Sources say that some of rally of senior Union Minister at district headquarters during Parivartan Yatra have also been cancelled. At some places routes have been changed. It is not clear as when this yatra will culminate on December 24 as decided earlier or on January 3. The PM is slated to address four more Parivartan yatra public meetings in coming days in UP. One will be in Kushinagar on November 27, in Moradabad on December 3, in Bahraich on December 11and in Knapur on December 18.
Modi had already addressed Parivartan Yatra meetings in Ghazipur on November 14 and in Agra on November 20.