The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), known for its ‘rath yatras’, will see a different ‘rath campaigning’ for BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the city for the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.
More than 300 auto rickshaw drivers in the city have decided to name their auto rickshaw as ‘Modi rath’ and they will dedicate one hour per day to campaign for Modi as PM. More are set to join the campaign in the coming few days.
“To begin with, we have decided to have two auto rickshaws plying in one constituency for campaigning, while rest of them will travel across the city. We have named them Modi rath. We have given them a target of getting signatures of 10,000 auto rickshaw drivers who will vote for the BJP,” said Shailender Sharma, an auto rickshaw driver who has organised the campaign.
He further added that they were earlier associated with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare’s movement and had then got in touch with Arvind Kejriwal.
“Nation comes first for us and Modiji believes in this ideology,” said Sharma, a resident of Dilshad Garden in New Seemapuri.
{{/usCountry}}“Nation comes first for us and Modiji believes in this ideology,” said Sharma, a resident of Dilshad Garden in New Seemapuri.
{{/usCountry}}Senior BJP leaders and workers from the Samvad cell of the BJP said that a number of auto rickshaw drivers who supported Kejriwal are now pitching for Modi as the PM.
“A number of auto rickshaw drivers have been approaching us and they claim that while Kejriwal is their choice for the CM, they support Modi as the PM,” said a senior BJP leader.
Sources in the BJP said that auto rickshaw drivers will be provided social benefits such as insurance cover for sporting the Modi posters. A number of auto rickshaws have already started campaigning for BJP with a tagline of ‘Vikas bhi imaan bhi, gareebon ka samman bhi (Development using honest means and respect for the poor)’.