BJP national president JP Nadda. (PTI) BJP national president JP Nadda will visit West Bengal on Saturday to launch the party’s “Ek Muthi Chawal [fistful of rice grains]” door-to-door campaign to counter the Opposition’s allegations that the BJP government at the Centre was against farmers.
The campaign comes at a time when farmers are camping on the Delhi border, demanding that the government withdraw three farm laws passed a few months ago.
According to a senior party leader, Nadda will launch the campaign in Bardhaman. BJP workers will visit farmer households in 48,000 villages across the state to collect rice.
“This is going to be a month-long drive to collect rice to be used for making meals for farmers and the poor. Nadda ji will launch the campaign from a public meeting on Krishak Suraksha Gram Sabha in Bardhaman on Saturday. He will also have lunch at the house of a farmer in Jagadanandpur village,” said the senior party leader.
After lunch, Nadda will attend a roadshow in Bardhaman town and address the media in the evening.
This will be Nadda’s second visit to the state in as many months. During his last visit, on December 10, the BJP chief’s convoy came under attack in Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district and stones were pelted at the vehicles. While Nadda escaped unhurt, several party functionaries were injured.
Anticipating Nadda’s visit to the state to launch the campaign for farmers, the Mamata Banerjee government recently indicated to the Centre that it was ready to implement the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.
Meanwhile, the BJP said it would take out a “padayatra [foot march]” here on January 12 to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The party has decided not to display party flags during the march from Shyambazar to Vivekananda’s ancestral house in North Kolkata.