BJP Leadership Urges State Units to Enhance Coordination and Counter Opposition Propaganda
NEW DELHI: In a clear message to the BJP leaders, the party's top brass has categorically told its state units to focus on coordination and firmly counter the Opposition's propaganda, be it the allegations against the party regarding Constitution, reservation, Union Budget or any other issue.
During the two-day-long conclave of the BJP's chief ministers and deputy chief ministers, which concluded on Sunday, the top brass of the saffron party made it abundantly clear that coordination between the party-ruled states and the organisational unit should be the priority of the state leaders, whether they are in the government or in the state units.
Governance and organisation-related issues were the main focus of the meeting, which also saw leadership seeking feedback on several Central and state governments' flagship schemes. Efforts to achieve the "Viksit Bharat" was one of the focal points of the conclave.
According to sources, while BJP president J.P. Nadda spoke on the coordination issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the gathering that the Opposition will do what it does, which is to create confusion and spread propaganda, but a BJP leader needs to counter it with facts.
The Prime Minister also spoke about achieving the target of Viksit Bharat through "lok kalyan" measures by the states and that "virasat ka vikas aur vikas ki virasat ka nirman" are the key components for achieving the Viksit Bharat target.
Lack of coordination and the party's failure to counter the Opposition bloc's allegations that the BJP will change the Constitution and end reservations were flagged as the main reasons behind the party's "poor" performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Also, there were complaints by the BJP cadre that the party strategists’ failure led to the party losing a considerable number of OBC and dalit votes.
After failing to achieve its much-hyped target of "400 paar" by the BJP-led NDA in the last Lok Sabha polls, this was the first such meeting. During the two-day conclave, the BJP central leadership reviewed issues related to governance and organisation.
The conclave also saw the successful flagship schemes of some state governments being asked to be replicated in other party-ruled states.
The Prime Minister, sources said, asked state leaders to work on developing famous temples in their states along the line of the Ayodhya dham and Kashi Vishwanath corridor. States were asked to focus more on "Clean Ganga" and "Swachh Bharat" missions. They were also told to promote the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" initiative, Rozgar Mela, Aarogya Mela and Amrit Sarovar campaigns. The BJP leaders were also told to highlight how the Union Budget is for the poor, women, farmers and youth.
"Mr Modi asked for a coordinated and strong effort by governments at the Centre and in states to ensure the goal of Viksit Bharat is attained. Both developing heritage and building a legacy of development have a special place in the idea of Viksit Bharat, Mr Modi told the party leaders," said senior party leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.
In all, 13 chief ministers and 15 deputy chief ministers from the BJP and NDA-ruled states attended the two-day mukhyamantri parishad meeting at the BJP headquarters.
The Prime Minister spoke at length about his government's agenda of making India a $5 trillion economy and stressed the importance of public participation in welfare measures.
In his interactions with BJP leaders, including chief ministers, Mr Modi often emphasises the need to ensure saturation coverage of welfare schemes and that BJP-ruled states should be seen as setting an example of good governance.
"Our Party is working tirelessly to further good governance and fulfil the aspirations of the people," Mr Modi had posted on X on Saturday.
Mr Sahasrabuddhe, who coordinates the party's "good governance" exercise, said the PM also emphasised using social media to ensure the maximum reach of government schemes targeting different groups.
Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Mr Nadda participated in the meeting, which is organised at regular intervals and is primarily focused on governance issues.
Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan spoke about the New Education Policy and the role of states in its execution.