BJP gets plaints instead of public poll plank ideas

Playing spoilsport to party leadership to crowdsource its ‘Sankalp Patra’ (charter of commitment) for Lok Sabha polls to be announced soon, Delhi BJP leaders are using the ‘Bharat ke Mann ki Baat, Modi ke Saath’ campaign to lodge complaints against the sitting parliamentarians from the city instead of giving their valuable inputs.

A party insider said that the exercise launched to know people’s idea for new India has turned into a personal platform to settle personal agenda against seven sitting Lok Sabha members as about 20 per cent of suggestions received in drop boxes are actually complaints.

On February 3, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah launched the drive to seek suggestions directly from people to prepare its ‘Sankalp Patra’ or election manifesto for the 2019 election through a month-long campaign across the country.

“The exercise is aimed at democratising the process of preparing the manifesto and would involve the common people in deciding the framework of the ‘new India’ they want,” Mr Shah had said while launching the campaign.

A party leader told this newspaper that an especially designed vehicle was travelling across the city to collect people’s suggestion.

But interestingly, it was found that the grassroots workers were using it as an opportunity to lodge complaints against the sitting Lok Sabha members instead of giving any suggestion for the ‘Sankalp Patra’.

According to a senior party leader, it has been learnt that in few Lok Sabha constituencies workers were instructed by powerful state office bearers to submit complaints against the sitting parliamentarians.

A senior party leader said that these spoilers are active knowing that the whole exercise is going under supervision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Shah as their complaint will be noticed by both the leaders.

“Complains noticed by Mr Modi and Mr Shah will pave way for denial of ticket to sitting MPs and they present their case for tickets,” he added.