Jan Ashirwad Yatra begins from Aug 16, new union ministers from UP to touch at least 3 Lok Sabha seats
Jan Ashirwad Yatra begins from Aug 16, new union ministers from UP to touch at least 3 Lok Sabha seats
Bharatiya Janata Party chief JP Nadda on Wednesday addressed members of parliament from three regions of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and asked them to prepare for Jan Ashirwad Yatra of the newly-inducted ministers in the union council of ministers from the state.
Four of the new ministers in the union council of ministers are from Uttar Pradesh and will undertake Jan Ashirwad Yatra across minimum of three Lok Sabha constituencies "to seek blessings of the people".
Nadda addressed a meeting of 39 MPs from Kanpur, Braj, and Western Uttar Pradesh regions of the state on Wednesday and is slated to address a meeting of MPs from three other regions of the state on Thursday.
ANI had first reported about the Jan Ashirwad Yatra, the need for which was felt by the BJP after Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not introduce the new ministers in parliament as per convention due to protests by opposition on its issues.
A BJP MP said the concept of the yatra is significant as these ministers will reach out to people and a message will go across of BJP-led government having given representation to weaker sections and various communities to defeat the caste-driven political agenda of opposition parties.
The meeting was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and party's state president Swatantra Dev Singh.
Sunil Bansal, general secretary (organization) and BJP in-charge of the state Radha Mohan Singh were also present.
Minister of State for Law and Justice SPS Baghel, who is MP from Agra, said the yatras will take place from August 16 to August 18.
"The newly-inducted ministers will seek blessings from people. They will pass across at least three Lok Sabha seats before reaching their own constituencies," he said.
A Lok Sabha seat in the populous state has at least five assembly constituencies.
Among all new ministers from Uttar Pradesh, Baghel also has influence in parts of Madhya Pradesh. He has a long association with the Bhind-Morena belt in Madhya Pradesh.
During the meeting, the MPs were briefed on central government schemes so that these are properly taken to people.
Sources said MPs were also asked to felicitate newly-elected district and panchayat committee members.
They said the Chief Minister told the meeting that Prime Minister will release fresh installment of ration to 80 lakh poor people of the state on August 5.
BJP has also planned to organise "sammelans" of farmers , youth and women ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections.
The Prime Minister had carried out a reshuffle and expansion of his ministry earlier this month.
In his remarks in Parliament, the Prime Minister targeted the opposition for creating a ruckus when the new ministers were sought to be introduced on the first day of the monsoon session.
He said this kind of mindset is being witnessed the first time in the Parliament and urged the Chairman to "consider the new minister introduced to the House."
The expanded council of ministers has 12 ministers belonging to the Scheduled Castes, who are from eight states -- Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Two of the ministers are in the cabinet.
Twenty-seven ministers belong to Other Backward Classes, five of them are in the cabinet.
Eight ministers belong to the Scheduled Tribes and hail from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam and Odisha. Three of them are cabinet ministers.
(ANI)