BJP’s street corner meetings get a mixed response

HYDERABAD: BJP’s street corner meetings that aimed to highlight failures of the BRS government and the achievements of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre have got a mixed response in various districts.

The party high command had set a target of 11,000 meetings in all 33 districts till February 25. So far, the party has managed to hold 6,000. There is no one to organise meetings in several Assembly constituencies, sources said. Mobilisation of people had become a tough task.

In this context, BJP general secretary and TS in-charge Sunil Bansal extended the meetings till February 28. The meetings are more successful in north Telangana districts; most were held in undivided Warangal district while Hyderabad district had the fewest. Meetings in integrated Khammam districts got overwhelming response.

In some places, BJP meetings were allegedly disrupted, including at Banswada and the Old City.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, BJP state vice-president K. Venkateswarlu, who is overseeing the meetings, said they party would meet the target. “Due to MLC elections, we are unable to get permission from police,”he said.

When contacted, BJP state executive member Dhanpal Suryanarayana Gupta of Nizamabad Urban said that party leaders were enthusiastic to participate in the meetings and there was competition among second-rung leaders. A new leadership had emerged in the colonies, he said.