MEERUT To extend the party’s reach across Uttar Pradesh in coming months, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) plans to create an exclusive digital platform and adopt youth-centric programmes to reach out to the masses, particularly youths, during its membership campaign beginning from May 6.
The RLD is considered a party with a rural base which largely focuses on issues of farmers, agriculture, poor and labourers with its stronghold in western UP. However, it suffered a setback with the advent of Hindutva in the region, especially after the fierce communal riots of Muzaffarnagar in September 2013.
Its representation became zero in the Lok Sabha with defeat of party leaders Ajit Singh and Jayant Choudhary in 2019 general elections. Earlier, the party managed to win only one seat of Chhaprauli in the 2017 assembly elections.
Its alliance with the Samajwadi Party in the 2022 assembly elections and its leadership’s active support to the 11-month-long farmers’ movement benefited the party, leading to victory of 8 of its candidates in the recently concluded state assembly elections.
This victory encouraged the party leadership to enlarge the party’s base in entire UP. Now, its think tank has churned out a few youth -centric programmes and is seeking help of some digital initiatives to achieve the goal.
{{/usCountry}}This victory encouraged the party leadership to enlarge the party’s base in entire UP. Now, its think tank has churned out a few youth -centric programmes and is seeking help of some digital initiatives to achieve the goal.
{{/usCountry}}Anupam Mishra, national convenor of RLD team, explained that a special drive for membership would begin from May 6, to expand the party’s base in the entire UP.
Mishra candidly admitted that now the time had come to add and address issues of other sections of society along with those of farmers and sugarcane for which the party largely worked in western UP. “Issues of youths and inflation are a few examples which the party needs to take up and work on,” he said.
RLD general secretary Trilok Tyagi also explained that those who would work hard for the betterment of the party would get an opportunity to become office-bearers. “Sitting idle after becoming member of the party would not earn any one posts in the party,” said Tyagi who emphasized the need of associating youths with the RLD and use of new technologies for enlarging the party’s base.
Mishra said that Lok Sahayak App and Project Sarthi had been envisaged keeping these goals in mind.
While the App would help create a digital platform to rope in the common man, Project Sarthi would exclusively focus on active association of youths with the party.
Mishra shared that under Project Sarthi, youths interested in politics and social services, preferably from constituencies of existing RLD MLAs, would be selected through interview and interaction.
The selected youths would be associated with MLAs to undergo six months’ internship to understand the functioning of different institutions, assembly and day to day functioning of police, civil, revenue and other departments. They would also be trained to use RTI to learn about how to deal with day-to-day affairs to benefit people and resolve their issues.
Mishra said discussion was underway to provide incentive during internship to cater to daily financial needs of youths associated with the programme. “We will give the youths certificates after they successfully complete their internship,” he said, adding that 4 to 10 youths could be associated with one MLA.
Similarly, Lok Sahayak App would focus on providing a digital platform to address grievances of the people. The party has planned to convene camps in rural areas to reach out to the common man to know their real issues. Mishra explained that the majority of people was still not aware about government schemes and did not know how to raise their grievances. “ Lok Sahayak App would help them in resolving their issues by roping in MLAs of their areas,” he said. The MLAs would bring the issues to the notice of the authorities and also raise them in the assembly to find solutions, he said.
Mishra said now youths had smart phones in rural areas. It would be easy for them to access the party and its MLAs easily through the App and also to know what actions were initiated against their complaints or issues.
Party leaders believe that such initiative would help transform the image of the party and help enlarge its base across the state.