GUWAHATI, Sept 19 - With only a few months to go before the next Lok Sabha polls, the ruling BJP has decided to widen the �Chai pe Charcha� (conversation over tea) campaign � which had brought it huge dividends during the 2014 General Election � and as part of it one party worker each has been directed to visit 20 households and discuss and publicise the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government.
State BJP spokesperson Pramod Swami told The Assam Tribune that the party is giving thrust on further consolidating its base at the booth level with a view to reach out to greater number of voters in the run-up to the 2019 Parliamentary elections.
�Our target is to make our party�s organisation stronger at the booth level. As part of it, one member of our party has been tasked to visit 20 households, have tea and discuss the achievements of the four and half years of the Modi government. We want to tell the people what the BJP-led NDA government at Centre has achieved during its rule and have interaction on the matter as well as get feedback of the people,� Swami said.
It is noteworthy that Modi had, in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, popularised the concept of Chai pe Charcha. That had proved to be a major success and BJP had managed to reap huge benefits out of it.
�The government led by Prime Minister Modi has achieved many feats. Loans to crores of poor people have been given under the Mudra Yojana. Electricity access has been provided to 18,000 villages. In addition, LPG connections have been provided to crores of people and medical insurance scheme have been extended across the country. More people have been brought under the income tax bracket. These and all other achievements of the Modi government will be told to the electorate by our workers during face-to-face interactions,� he said.
The BJP leader said that the Lok Sabha polls will be fought on national issues and so the saffron party is focusing on the performance of the Modi government.
Swami added that the process of appointment of �panna prabharis� or page in-charges across all Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam is at an advanced stage.
As per the concept of page in-charges, there will be one in-charge for each page of the voters� list and he or she will coordinate organizational activities with all voters of that particular page in the list. It is part of the saffron party�s strategy to penetrate to the micro-level.
Almost 3.5 lakh page in-charges will be appointed by the State BJP. Swami dismissed the Opposition�s attempt to form an anti-BJP alliance.
�Congress leader Harish Rawat has said that his party is aiming to win 11 seats from Assam. But is that possible considering the kind of leadership provided by Prime Minister Modi during last four and half years? Opposition is talking about the so-called Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance). But what is the composition of the Mahagathbandhan? Who will lead it? Neither the Congress nor any other Opposition party has been able to shed some clarity on the issue,� he said.
Asked about BJP�s likely stand regarding its local allies � AGP and BPF � during the next Lok Sabha polls, Swami said, �BPF and AGP are our allies. They are part of the State government. As our allies, they have a right to raise issues and make demands. But all of us � BJP, AGP and BPF � are mature parties. We stand together. As for issues like seat-sharing during the elections, the central leadership of all three parties will discuss the matter when the time comes.�
It is noteworthy that BJP has set a target to win at least 21 out of the total 25 Lok Sabha seats from the North East during the 2019 General Elections.
In Assam, the saffron party had emerged victorious in seven of the 14 constituencies during the 2014 Parliamentary polls.
