Santhosh praises CM as he wraps up Lucknow visit, BJP chief says party has leaders like Modi and Yogi

After wrapping up his three-day visit to Lucknow where he met several party leaders and workers, BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh on Wednesday praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the state government’s Covid vaccination campaign.

“On the back of 7.25 lakh vaccinations on June 21, UP vaccinates 8.1 lakh persons in the last 24 hours. The momentum is picking up. Good going CM,” Santhosh tweeted, tagging the chief minister.

Santhosh’s praise for Adityanath comes at a time when some of the senior party leaders like cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya have been saying that the face of the chief minister will be decided by the central leadership after the Assembly elections next year. As the ruling BJP gears up for the polls, it is making efforts to project a united front and dispel rumours about discontent or alleged differences between the central and state leadership.

During his last visit earlier this month, Santhosh had held meetings with senior party leaders, party office-bearers and workers amid voices of discontent. Sources said that while the focus of his last visit was to resolve the discontent, this time, it was to prepare the party for the upcoming campaigns keeping the Assembly elections in mind.

Sources in the BJP said that during his meeting with the party cadres and ministers on Tuesday, the leaders were asked to gear up for the polls and ensure that the state government and organisation “work hand-in-hand not just to create awareness but also to ensure that the benefits reach those in need”.

BJP national vice-president and UP in-charge Radha Mohan Singh, who had arrived with Santhosh, meanwhile, held a meeting with party workers here. According to a party leader, the booth-level meeting was held as a part of various programmes to be held from June 23 to July 6.

The UP BJP had on Tuesday said a comprehensive plantation programme will be undertaken till July 6 from June 23, the death anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

Different programmes will be held by the party on June 25, the day the national emergency was imposed in the country in 1975.

Later in the day, Uttar Pradesh state BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and party state general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal held a meeting with the newly appointed teams, especially with the members of the state unit’s media team. During the meeting, party leaders were told to organise media training workshop at the state, regional and district levels.

Sources said that during the meeting, the newly appointed office bearers were asked to start training workshops on not just how to “expose the lies of Opposition” but also talk about the BJP having leaders like Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath, who are “honest and hardworking”.

The media team has also been asked to publicise how the “rule of law has been established” in the state with the BJP government at the helm, and how the state has adopted the policy of “zero tolerance” towards corruption.

During the meeting, Swantantra Dev Singh said that BJP has leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who are “honest and hardworking and work for the welfare of poor”, a BJP spokesperson said.