Foundation day: BJP launches ‘Mahasampark Abhiyan’ in poll-bound HP

The BJP also launched the first phase of its election campaign in the poll-bound Himachal. The party initiated its mass contact program “Mahasampark Abhiyan” to brace up its cadres and to mobilise public

SHIMLA: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose its 42nd foundation day celebrations to exhibit its strength to political opponents --- the Congress which is keen to regain power and the Aam Admi Party (AAP), eager to gain a foothold in the hill state.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose its 42nd foundation day celebrations to exhibit its strength to political opponents --- the Congress which is keen to regain power and the Aam Admi Party (AAP), eager to gain a foothold in the hill state.

The BJP also launched the first phase of its election campaign in the poll-bound Himachal. The party initiated its mass contact program “Mahasampark Abhiyan” to brace up its cadres and to mobilise public. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur participated in the foundation day celebrations at Thunag, the block headquarters of his Seraj assembly segment and launched “Chale booth ki ore-barae jeet ki ore”.

On the occasion, he highlighted the BJP’s journey from the days of the Jan Sangh. “It was on this auspicious day that the BJP came into existence in Mumbai with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its first president,” he said, while he apprised the BJP workers about the struggle of the party.

He said when former PM Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in 1975, members of the Jan Sangh held protests against the Congress regime. He said that after the withdrawal of the Emergency, the Jan Sangh collaborated with a number of other parties and formed the Janata Party. While the BJP was formed on April 6, 1980, its ideological origins can be dated back to 1951 when Shyama Prasad Mukherjee formed the Bhartiya Jana Sangh, he added. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the development of the nation.

Thakur said that the BJP was the largest political party in India, both in terms of representation in Parliament and in terms of party membership.

“The party has come a long way since its origin in the early 1980s. It overcame several obstacles and failures and at present formed a robust footing in the Indian political scenario and significantly overturned the ideological framework that drove India’s national and international policies for a long time. He highlighted the works done by his government in the state.

Addressing party workers in the Theog assembly segment, state BJP chief Suresh Kashyap said: “The BJP works round the year, not like the other parties which are only active during elections.” Kashyap expressed hope that the party will win elections in hill state as it did in four other states.