Amid growing resentment among the rank and file of Haryana BJP, party national president Amit Shah will embark on a three-day visit of the State from Wednesday, with an aim to further strengthen party’s base ahead of 2019 polls.
The party State unit has geared up to accord a grand welcome to BJP chief, who will hold a roadshow from Bahadurgarh to Rohtak, where he would be staying during his State visit. The Chief Minister Manohar lal, his cabinet colleagues and party State chief Subhash Barala along with hundreds of party workers would receive Shah at Bahadurgarh, from where his drive to Rohtak will began at around 9 am.
While party workers will line up waving saffron flags at the streets to greet the party president, Shah is also expected to stop at eight places where he will be welcomed and given colourful Haryanavi turbans, lotus flowers by party members amid the performance of traditional folk dances.
From having breakfast or lunch at residence of a dalit party worker to holding a series of meetings, Shah’s three days itinerary and location of stay, Rohtak, has been carefully chosen to send a series of political messages by the ruling BJP in Haryana, where assembly elections are due in 2019 together with the lok Sabha polls.
Rohtak, which was the epicentre of the 2016 violent Jat agitation, is considered a stronghold of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. During lok Sabha polls 2014, Congress had managed to retain its Rohtak seat, with Deepender Singh Hooda being the only Congress candidate recording victory during the polls.
Shah will spend three days in Rohtak attending 27 events which include meetings with Ministers, MlAs, MPs, party office bearers and workers.
After his arrival at Rohtak on Tuesday, he will address a series of meetings with party office bearers, former MPs and ex-MlAs of the party. Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar will also be present in these meetings.
“Amit Shah will be escorted to Rohtak by a cavalcade of hundreds of vehicles. After reaching Rohtak, he will be welcomed by priests amid roaring chants of shlokas and sound of conch shells,” said BJP Haryana chief Subhash Barala while talking to the mediapersons.
Elaborating about the meetings to be held by Amit Shah, Barala said that the party chief will be meeting party’s State unit core group and intellectuals on Wednesday afternoon followed by an interaction with party MPs and legislators in the evening.
While six meetings are lined up for the first day, eight meetings will be held on August 3, during which Shah would also inaugurate a library building in the party office at Rohtak. Shah is also scheduled to have a media interaction on August 3 at Rohtak.
“During his three days visit to Haryana, Amit Shah would review the works undertaken by the first BJP Government during 1000 days of its rule in the State and will also hold discussion on strategies to be adopted to further widen party’s base in the State,” added Barala.
On choosing Rohtak as the venue for Shah’s visit, Barala said, “Rohtak has been party’s headquarter for decades and is also the political capital of Haryana.”
Amit Shah’s visit to Haryana is a part of his country-wide tour which began in April to strategise and find ways to strengthen the party at the grass-root level before 2019 elections. The BJP chief had visited Chandigarh in May.
Reports to be submitted to Amit Shah
While the Chief Minister will present a report card of his Government’s achievements during 1000 days rule in State, State party unit will also submit several reports to the party president during his visit to Haryana.
The BJP Government had completed its 1,000 days in office on July 21 and Manohar lal will submit list of developmental initiatives of his Government and a roadmap for implementing development works to be undertaken in the remaining tenure. Apart from this, the party will submit details of programmes to be observed to celebrate the birth centenary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya in Haryana. The party State unit will also submit progress report of implementation of central schemes in Haryana. Another report pertaining to electoral demography (from booth-level to lok Sabha constituency-level profile) membership mapping and organisational scenario will also be presented to Shah.
Meeting with rebel MlAs
Shah’s visit to Haryana assumes significance as the BJP State unit is suffering due to factionalism. The infighting and voice of dissent within the State party unit has dented the image of BJP led Haryana Government in the past few months.
Several MlAs and MPs in BJP have time and again aired their grievances at public platforms against their own Government.
Many party leaders are expected to meet Shah separately to raise their grievances. The BJP president is also scheduled to meet prominent Jat leaders of the State to strengthen party’s base in the Jatland.