Now, BJP plans 'Kavi Sammelan' to remember Vajpayee

In a bid to cash in on Atal Bihari Vajpayee's legacy, the BJP will organise nationwide 'Kavi Sammelan' on September 16 and a 'Seva Saptah' (Week of Service) the next day where party workers will storm slums in 20,000 locations with cleanliness drive and medical camps.

The programme was announced by BJP president Amit Shah. The party plans to tap Vajpayee's poems to reach out to masses and on September 16, exactly a month after Vajpayee's death, through the 'Kavi Sammelans' in at least 4,000 locations.

During the programme, the recordings of Vajpayee's rendition of his poems will be played while there will be a recitation of his poems by others. Poets will also present poems written on the former prime minister. This programme will be organised in all Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies.

The second programme will start a day after the 'Kavi Sammelan' where the party will observe 'Seva Saptah' from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on September 17 to the birth anniversary of late Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay on September 25. The party has also planned this as a homage to the late former prime minister.

As part of this, party workers will organise cleanliness drive, vaccination drive and medical camps in slums in 20,000 locations across the country. The party will also help the poor who are diagnosed with health problems to get treatment in hospitals, Shah told reporters.

During this period, the party activists will also inform people about 'Ayushman Bharat', the NDA government's ambitious health insurance scheme that will be launched on September 25.

The BJP has been organising several programmes after Vajpayee's death, prominent being the 'Asthi Kalash Yatras' across the country to cash in on his popularity in an election year. The plan was to immerse Vajpayee's ashes in 100 holy rivers across the country besides holding prayer meetings in various state capitals, districts and panchayats.

Similarly, the Chhattisgarh government has announced that it will name New Raipur as Atal Nagar while Maharashtra has decided to set up Chairs in memory of the BJP patriarch in all the 13 universities under its jurisdiction.

However, these drives were not without controversies. While the BJP had to immediately shelve a proposal to rename the iconic Ramlila Maidan in Delhi after Vajpayee following outrage, images of leaders smiling and laughing during the 'Asthi Kalash Yatra' also made it to social media where the party was "roasted".