BJP's two-day meet focuses on Covid-19, farmers' issues

Conscious of Covid-19 effect on a string of state Assembly polls next year and concerned over the third wave of pandemic likely to hit India at the end of this year, BJP on Sunday decided to hit the ground running with one lakh trained health volunteers across the country, who know how to operate medical devices and carry out other essential medical chores.

The party has also decided to tell people how 11 lakh BJP workers are engaged in spreading awareness on the Covid-19 vaccination drive and that the saffron party set up more than 4,000 Covid-19 care helplines.

A day after farmers' bodies protesting against three contentious farm laws for the last six months sought to corner the government on its farm promises including doubling farmers income, BJP on Sunday asserted, "Modi government is committed to double the income of farmers by 2022. Rs 76000 were directly transferred into the accounts of farmers for wheat purchased from them at Minimum Support Price. Out of this Rs 26000 crores were transferred into accounts of farmers from Punjab and Rs 16,700 crores into the accounts of farmers from Haryana."

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Both Punjab and Haryana are epicentres of farmers' agitation.

The training of farmers at the Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs) across the country is a key component of the future course of action plan finalised by the BJP on Sunday.

The party has also decided to take some of the target-oriented schemes of the Central government in a big way to stakeholders.

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The decisions were laid out at a two-day meeting chaired by BJP chief J P Nadda with party general secretaries and the various morchas like OBC, SC/ST, farmers at a time when Opposition parties have mounted a joint offensive against the Central government on its handling of Covid-19, repeatedly attacking the BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, which were earlier touted by the party as ideal models.

With images of bodies floating in the Ganges and piles of bodies buried on the river banks in UP, which goes to polls nine months away, the realisation has been dawning on the BJP that mere countering Opposition attack won't suffice and in the recent month, the BJP has focused on its 'Seva Hi Sangathan" programme days after many from the within the party raised questions on the visibility of the government and the party on the ground, when people were battling the pandemic.

The meeting also had a threadbare discussion on the political violence that kicked up in the states soon after the polls were over and arson and violence continued for days.

The meeting attended BJP general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, all eight general secretaries and morcha presidents, concluded on Sunday a day after a three-day meeting of RSS top brass in Delhi carried out deep deliberations on evolving socio-political scenario and reviewed the work done by RSS volunteers for Covid-19 relief.

The ruling party has chosen to counter the political criticism around the pandemic's handling by pointing out loopholes in the functioning of the Opposition-ruled states, an indication of which was available when Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri trained guns on Congress-ruled Punjab and Rajasthan over vaccine and Central Vista issue.

On Sunday BJP took to social media with caricatures attacking Arvind Kejriwal over what it called "Kejriwal's model of mismanagement'. It also came out what it called ABCD of Kejriwal government.

"A-Advertisement, B-Blame, C-Credit, D-Drama, E-Excuse F-Failure," is the ABCD of Kejriwal's functioning," said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.

BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav spoke at length on the relief work carried out by the party. BJP Twitter handle tweeted, "BJP is committed to serving people amid Covid-19 pandemic. Service work was carried out in more than 1.53 lakh villages and slums under the 'Seva Hi Sangathan' programme."