BJP launches massive outreach programme: Does this hint at early elections?

Early general elections now appear to be a possibility with the BJP and its ideological fountainhead- the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - steadily gearing up to fight the mega poll battle ahead of 2019. BJP president Amit Shah launching a massive outreach programme on Tuesday appears to be a part of this preparation to face the poll battle earlier than scheduled.

Marking the fourth anniversary of the Narendra Modi government, the initiative christened 'Sampark for Samarthan' (Connect for Support), is a door to door campaign aimed at making people aware of the “transformative initiatives” undertaken by the Centre.

Shah, who had recently dismissed the speculation on early general elections, is personally reaching out to eminent personalities to highlight the achievements of the Modi government.

He launched the initiative in the national capital by reaching out to former Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag and constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap.

During his meeting with Suhag and Kashyap, Shah discussed and briefed them on the achievements and initiatives undertaken by Modi government.

“It was a courtesy call, we discussed several issues concerning the common people,” Suhag later told mediapersons.

Under the initiative, while Shah will personally contact at least 50 people, Modi will be reaching out to the beneficiaries of various schemes like the Ujjwala Yojana, Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Saubhagya scheme etc.

Modi on Monday through the NaMo App, had interacted with the beneficiaries of Ujjwala Yojana, a scheme to provide LPG connections to women while on Tuesday he interacted with beneficiaries Mudra Yojana, a scheme to provide loans to non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises.

From Shah to Union ministers and chief ministers down to panchayat members, around 4,000 BJP functionaries will be contacting one lakh recognised faces from diverse fields to sell them the government’s success stories.

Although, Shah recently had said a firm “no” to suggestions of early Lok Sabha polls, the BJP machinery had been working overtime for the past several months designing and finalising the outreach programme, signaling its intent of preparing for early general polls.

Collating data from various ministries, the BJP has prepared booklets providing details with statistical highlights about how the government has “changed the lives of millions of people” across the country through the wide range of schemes.

The booklets with pictures of Shah and Modi on the cover and the party’s new slogan “Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikas” (clean intent, right development), are being handed over to the people under the programme.

Perennially on campaign mode, the BJP has already gone on overdrive endorsing and advertising the achievements of the Modi government on social media.

Led by Modi, Union ministers and BJP functionaries have been tweeting statistical highlights of the various schemes.

The BJP official website has also come out with an infographics on the “4 Years Of Modi government” detailing its achievements in various fields. 

The 'Sampark for Samarthan' follows Shah’s meet with all BJP office bearers and Modi’s holding a convention of the national executives of all the 'morchas' (wings) of the party earlier in the month.

In both the meetings, the party had brainstormed at length about the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and of course the next general Lok Sabha polls.

The launch of the programme also coincides with the RSS’ 3-day meeting with top BJP leaders and Union ministers in the national capital.

Presided over by RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal, the meeting on Monday saw the participation of Shah, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, Union ministers Rajyavardhan Rathore, JP Nadda and Prakash Javadekar among others.

At the meeting, both the RSS and BJP leaders discussed the performance of the Modi government and the roadmap for the next Lok Sabha polls.

Among the agenda in the meeting are the government’s economic, education and labour policies.

Smarting from its failure to form the government in Karnataka, the BJP has already started asserting about winning the next Lok Sabha polls with a massive mandate. Shah recently had declared that return to power in 2019 was “not a challenge but a certainty”.

Belying the BJP’s assertions is a website which with factual information quoting sources, paints a rather sorry picture of the four years of the Modi government.

From India having the “maximum number of unemployed people in the world”, to farmer crisis and the effects of demonetisation, the website gives a detailed analysis of the performance of the country under the Modi led BJP regime.