Bengal election: Nadda to launch BJP’s outreach for farmers in state on Jan 9
BJP president JP Nadda is set to launch a campaign among 'annadatas' in West Bengal. The party plans to collect “bhiksha” or alms from members of farmer families from January 9 to January 24.
At a time the Modi government is facing a determined protest over the three farm laws, BJP president JP Nadda is set to launch a campaign among 'annadatas' in West Bengal heading towards a stormy Assembly election likely in April.
On January 9, JP Nadda will launch BJP's reach-out programme, called "ek mutho chaal" or a fistful of rice, in the state from a remote village in Katwa region of East Burdwan. This is to counter chief minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC's push to brand the Modi government as anti-farmer.
Nadda will seek alms from five farmer families to create a direct connect with the "annadata" or the grain provider. He is expected to eat a meal at a farmer's house and visit a local temple.
Nadda will lead the Krushak Suraksha gram sabha in Jaganandapur village for which invites have been sent to farmers. Nadda is likely to highlight the initiatives launched by the Modi government for the welfare of farmers including PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and Kisan Bima Yojana. BJP leaders will be present in over 3,000 gram sabhas for a simultaneous launch of the scheme.
BJP plans to collect rice from January 9 to January 24. Activists and leaders of BJP and its affiliated organisations will move door to door all over the state seeking "bhiksha" or alms from members of farmer families. The grain collected will be utilised to prepare meals at community kitchens for farmers and the poor. BJP plans to operate community kitchens across the state between January 25-30.
BJP plans to blunt the "arrogant anti-farmer government" tirade by ruling TMC by expressing its gratitude to farmers. Farmers have become one of the key electoral constituencies because of two factors -- the protest against the three farms laws and Mamata Banerjee's refusal to implement the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme which involves a 6000 direct cash transfer per year in three equal tranches to farmers.
While Mamata Banerjee's party has made the protest a big issue, BJP has questioned why the TMC government is denying farmers of Bengal the benefits of the scheme. Following sharp attacks from BJP, Banerjee indicated on Monday that the state government may eventually say yes to the central scheme.
The Bengal government has written to the Centre to provide a list of farmers who had enrolled for the scheme from the state. This was after PM Modi on December 25 deposited, with a press of a button, 18000 crore in the accounts of nine crore farmers and appealed to the West government to let its farmers benefit from the scheme.
The Centre says there are approximately 70 lakh farmers in Bengal missing out of the central scheme despite nearly 23 lakh of them having applied online for the scheme.
All eyes will be on Nadda’s visit after the tumultuous events on his last outing in Bengal on December 10 when his convoy was attacked allegedly by TMC workers worsening the state government’s relations with the Centre.
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