JOIN USBJP plans big on Modi's birthday; Opposition says celebrations when people suffering
The BJP is planning three-week grand celebrations to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday and his 20 years of public life as an administrator by distributing crores of ration bags with his picture and sending five crore postcards among others but it has run into criticism from the Opposition, which says it is a "tragedy" that he is celebrating when people are "suffering in misery".
From September 17, Modi's birthday, and October 7, when he became Gujarat Chief Minister on the same day 20 years ago, the BJP is planning a flurry of activities, which is expected to act as a morale booster for the BJP cadre at a time the party is headed to Assembly polls in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur where it is the ruling party. Modi turns 71 next week.
The party's programmes titled 'Seva aur Samarpan Abhiyan' come at a time Modi and his government have faced intense criticism over the handling of the second wave of Covid-19 and migrant crisis during the first lockdown last year, economic problems, farmers issues and amid a perception even within the party that the developments had created a dent in the Prime Minister's popularity.
Through the programmes, the BJP plans to emphasise that Modi remains a "messiah of the poor" as a recent survey claimed that his popularity rating has slumped to 24% from 66% earlier.
The Opposition leaders are not enthused with the celebrations and said it only showed the uneasiness in the BJP over the growing unpopularity of Modi and his government and a scramble to save itself ahead of the Assembly elections.
"The economy is in crisis but (the planned) celebrations show that the BJP 'tijori' (coffers) is overflowing," Congress Rajya Sabha Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh told DH.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram said the whole plan showed "what all megalomaniacs do". He told DH, "This is Nero fiddling while Rome was burning. Modi is celebrating as people suffer from hunger and joblessness. This is the tragedy that India is now."
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien said, "Four years to go for 'Margdarshak Mandal'. Stay healthy. Stay megalomaniacal." In BJP, leaders above the age of 75 years are retired from the party usually and top leaders like L K Advani and others were moved to a 'Margdarshak Mandal', which was a body of elderly leaders to advise the younger leadership of the party.
BJP leaders said the party will distribute 14 crore ration bags printed with Modi's picture and thanking him for providing five kg in a bid to project the Prime Minister as a "messiah of the poor". It also plans to send five crore postcards to Modi from across the country besides a social media blitzkrieg through videos of beneficiaries thanking Modi for his help during the pandemic as well as for Covid-19 vaccination efforts.
The party will also choose 71 spots in rivers for the clean up as well as getting noted writers to pen the contributions of Modi. Efforts will also be made to get children who lost their parents to Covid-19 registered for relief from PM-CARES.
Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan tweeted, "This government has totally wrecked the economy and jobs. Now it is handing over our public sector to its cronies like Ambani/Adani. Imagine 64% unemployment among graduate youth! That is why Modi's birthday on 17th is being marked by the youth of the country as 'Berozgar' (unemployment) Divas."
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