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BJP leaders gear up to celebrate 8 years of Modi government
Elaborate preparations are underway to mark eight years of the Narendra Modi government on May 30 by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the central government, people familiar with the matter said.
Elaborate preparations are underway to mark eight years of the Narendra Modi government on May 30 by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the central government, people familiar with the matter said. Celebrations of the government’s anniversary have been muted over the past two years on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With a little over a month to go for the anniversary, a committee headed by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh and information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur met on Monday at BJP headquarters.
The preparations are significant as last year the anniversary came in the midst of a deadly second wave, and the government and the BJP marked the day by dedicating it to the welfare of Covid orphans. The theme was all about sewa, or service. This year too, the tone is likely to remain subdued even though the country’s Covid-19 caseload is low and almost all eligible adults are fully vaccinated.
In an internal communication plan reviewed by HT, the government has pitched for an outdoor media blitzkrieg with the theme of Pradhan Mantri se Pradhan Sevak. The 72-year-old Prime Minister has often talked about his modest upbringing, how it represents the possibility of an ordinary person attaining the highest office in the country, and how he views his role as someone who serves.
The campaign will focus on this journey through photographs and posters capturing some key moments. While neither Singh nor Thakur commented on the preparations, everyone in the party feels it is a momentous occasion which should be marked.
“Modi’s public life is to serve the people and not for political power. For him, political position is for governance and administration. That’s the reason the poor are getting direct benefits and, therefore, electing the BJP in state after state,’’ said senior party leader Dinesh Trivedi. ”When it comes to national interest, he takes tough decisions without caring for political gains or losses.’’
Another idea that is being proposed is to have a series of e-books around several themes. For instance, there could be one on the way India took a lead role in combating Covid-19, the people cited in the first instance added.
The public broadcaster is planning a three-day conclave that will have various cabinet ministers and experts talking about the past eight years, they said. And, as has been the practice in the past, ministers will travel to different parts of the country, spreading the government’s message.
The physical events will be backed by a big social media push, the people said. For this, various units are preparing videos that highlight the government’s achievements, compiling quotes of Modi and putting together easy-to-share bite-sized infographics.
“The party will examine the suggestions for celebrating the 8th year anniversary. There will be programmes across the country, which will be addressed by senior party leaders and central ministers,” a party functionary said. “As was done in the past, there will be theme selected for the celebrations, and people will be deputed to travel to various districts to talk about the government’s schemes and also take feedback.”
A presentation on how to plan the celebrations was made at Monday’s meeting. “The focus of the programmes will be people-centric schemes and how they have impacted lives of the poor and the marginalised,” added the functionary, who asked not to be named. A focus on beneficiaries of welfare schemes is seen as one of the main reasons for the party’s repeated electoral success.
A second party functionary said the focus will continue to be on “seva and sampark” and the outreach programmes will be targeted at “beneficiaries and influencers.”
Last year, the party had decided send out senior leaders and ministers to over 100,000 villages. The party chief’s instruction to the cadre was to focus on humanitarian services. The party also organised Covid prevention and relief activities in these villages.
