Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis (Express Photo by Prashant Nadkar/Files)
Ahead of the BJP rally in the state, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that the objective is to display the vastness of the party and inculcate confidence in grassroot workers for the big battle ahead (elections) in Maharashtra and India.
Fadnavis said, “Let us unveil the vastness of the BJP to the last worker. The convergence of five lakh people at one spot is not about headcounts or power play. It depicts the vastness of the organisation, which has been build over the years.”
Explaining the reason behind mobilising the grassroots to walk all the way to the country’s commercial capital, he said, “A humble worker, who is silently confined to his/her booth in a distant village or hamlet and carrying out the work for the organisation will get a glimpse of the vastness of the party as they transcend their boundaries to participate in the maha rally at the BJP foundation day.”
Drawing an analogy from the Mahabharat, Fadnavis referred to his earlier promise of convening a mammoth rally at Mumbai.
He said, “In Mahabharat, Lord Krishna had to show the great warrior Arjun the vastness before taking him to the battlefield. Similarly, every worker across 90,000 booths, spread across Maharashtra, has an able warrior ready to take on the big battle. But when they come to Mumbai and see the vastness of the organisation, it would work magic,” he said.
In the state, there are a total 90,000 booths. In each booth there are at least 10 to 20 workers. The foremost task is to reach out to the people door-to-door in their assigned areas, he said. According to political managers in the BJP, “the decision to organise the biggest rally at Mumbai can be traced to the historical past. The central leadership of the party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, believes that Maharashtra will lead the nation towards rebuilding ‘New India’ in 2019.” A senior leader said, “Maharashtra has seen the biggest political challenges and administrative reforms from Maratha rallies to Rs 23,000 crore farm-loan waiver for the 67 lakh farmers. Therefore, top leadership in the BJP believes, the mammoth rally in the financial capital will power the process of political momentum for BJP.”