New Delhi: Days after losing three states in Assembly election to the Congress, BJP chief Amit Shah has been busy reaching out to his party MPs asking them not to feel disheartened by these defeats.
With the 2019 Lok Sabha polls just months away, the BJP’s elected representatives have also been told to take the message of people centric policies and programmes being implemented by the Narendra Modi government to the people and boost the morale of the cadre.
In what is being seen as the BJP’s attempt to reach out to its elected representatives, cadre and general masses, the BJP chief has been meeting his party MPs December 20 onwards in an exercise that is scheduled to end on January 4.
In one of the first such meets, party MPs have been allowed to air their grievances and offer suggestions for the party’s poll strategy ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Interestingly, MPs have been allowed to speak at these meetings and fill the alleged “communication gap” that has purportedly widened in Modi govt’s four-year tenure. The BJP chief is so far understood to have met party MPs from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Delhi.
The reaching out by Mr Shah — soon after defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls — is being seen not just as an attempt by the party high command to boost the morale of the elected representatives but also to establish contact with disaffected lot amongst them. It is learnt that suggestions sought from these MPs may be incorporated in the party’s strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The MPs have been told that they should not feel disheartened by the Assembly poll losses but work with more for the party given that the general elections just months away. The elected representatives have also been told to reach out to the masses with NDA’s other success stories, like the passing of the GST Bill and Digitial India, “people centric” policies like Aayushman Bharat, Ujjwala Yojna, Atal Awas Yojna, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Jan Dhan Yojna, Kisan credit card, Swachcha Bharat Abhiyaan and Make in India. Issues of national concern are also likely to be brought before the people.
With the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samta Party leaving the NDA and the Shiv Sena venting its ire against the Narendra Modi government publicly, several MPs also raised concern regarding coordination with the allies. It is understood that though the BJP chief did not make any comment on this issue, he is understood to have assured party MPs that the “ally situation” was being monitored and in control.
