E-Paper
BJP gears up for Amethi push with ‘mega’ Modi rally
However, Yogi’s visit, along with that of UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey, was more to take stock of preparations for Modi’s March 3 rally in Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Amethi on Thursday ostensibly to attend the video conference of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BJP’s ‘Mera Booth Sabse Majboot’ programme.
However, Yogi’s visit, along with that of UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey, was more to take stock of preparations for Modi’s March 3 rally in Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency.
The rally ground in Kauhar, Gauriganj, where Modi would arrive after attending a government function in Korba Munshiganj, has a capacity to accommodate around 1.5 lakh people. The BJP is anxious to get as many people, which would easily make it the biggest party show in the Congress bastion.
In 2017 UP polls, the BJP had won 4 of the 5 assembly seats that make the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, with SP winning one. The BJP is now claiming that, coupled with a dip in the victory margin of Gandhi, the failure of the Congress to open its account in assembly seats indicates BJP’s growing political clout.
That’s why both UP CM and state BJP chief tasked cadres and party lawmakers to ensure a “massive attendance” for Modi’s rally on March 3.
The Congress laughed at the BJP’s Amethi push. “The BJP has governments both in UP and at the centre and might as well mobilise crowd. But it would be interesting to see how many locals from Amethi they are able to mobilise,” said Congress leader Nadeem Ashraf ‘Jaisi’ from ‘Jais’ area of Amethi.
Yogendra Mishra, the Amethi district Congress chief, said they would also want the BJP to look back at Modi’s rally in Amethi on the last day of the 2014 LS campaign and the commitments he had made.
“We intend to expose the BJP and its top leadership. Their guest appearances and tall promises won’t be able to break the familial bond Congress shares with people here,” he said.
“Remain active and vigilant till March 3. All eyes are on Amethi and in today’s situation the PM’s Amethi visit is all the more important. We must guard against miscreants and ensure that the rally is a success,” Pandey said.
The BJP also plans to get beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat and those farmer families from Amethi which have already received the first instalment of PM-KISAN to the rally.
“Everyone would want to attend Modiji’s rally. We must ensure that all those who want to come are able to attend,” Yogi said and instructed cadres and asked officials to ensure that various schemes of the Modi government are prominently displayed in villages and near the rally venue.
Union textiles minister Smriti Irani visited Amethi on Sunday to launch the farmers’ cash scheme.
After whittling Gandhi’s victory margin to one lakh votes in 2014, down from 3 lakh in 2009, Irani is widely tipped to re-contest against Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 LS polls.
Caption
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath along with state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and UP minister Mohsin Raza, on Thursday inspected the site where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a rally in Amethi on March 3.
