Work towards fixing the organisationally ‘lean patches’: Nadda to BJP’s K’taka unit

Team Udayavani, Aug 9, 2020, 8:21 AM IST

Bengaluru: BJP national president J P Nadda on Saturday asked the Karnataka unit to work towards fixing the organisationally “lean patches” in the state like the old Mysuru region, where the party is weak, in a year”s time.

He also said the Karnataka unit should have a “very strong” IT cell, to take the work of state and central government among the masses and to have a discourse about the party”s political agenda at the ground level.

“Karnataka has got a strong organisational background, but along with that there are some patches in between..there are some districts where we are weak.

Lean patches like old Mysuru areas have to be marked,” Nadda said.

Addressing the virtual meeting of new office bearers of Karnataka BJP, he said, wherever the party is strong, in those areas also there are some weak spots, and it should be demarcated and state unit chief Nalin Kateel should give the responsibility of such areas to each office bearer.

“Ministers, office bearers should be involved and we will have to prepare a one year programme for these organisationally weak areas.Within a year”s time how we can get things right there, we should work towards it,” he said.

The BJP is not strong in the old Mysuru or southern Karnataka belt, which is a Vokkaliga stronghold, and the Congress and JD(S) have been traditional rivals in the region.

However the BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha and December bypolls had made significant inroads in the region.

Noting that the team of new office bearers is the combination of old with experience and young faces, Nadda said all should work together.

Almost a year into his taking over as the president of Karnataka BJP, Nalin Kumar Kateel on July 31 had appointed vice presidents, general secretaries, secretaries and spokesperson to the state unit, putting in place a full-fledged team of office bearers.

Calling for the formation of mandal and shakti kendra committees at grassroot level and creation of new WhatsApp groups at the booth level for micro management, Nadda gave instructions for developing a “very strong” IT cell in the state.

“Every week we should give material of IT cell regarding achievement at national and state level, so that there is discourse at the ground level about our political agenda and the work our governments have done,” he added.

The BJP president said that a week long virtual training camp for all office bearers, district, mandal, shakti kendra and booth level leaders should have to be organised and capsules prepared for it. He also stressed on taking the work, programmes and achievements of BJP government at the state and the centre to the masses.

Speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laying the foundation for Ram temple in Ayodhya, Nadda said “for the last 500 years, generations have fought for this Mandir and we were fortunate to see it happen (foundation- laying) in front of our eyes.

It is an emotional moment for all of us, and we should certainly share this emotional moment with the people,” he said.

Noting that it has been one year since the abrogation of Article 370, the BJP president told the party office bearers to gather information about the good works that have happened in the last one year in Jammu and Kashmir and take it to the people to make them aware of it.

Terming the national education policy as a “big step” by the Modi government, he claimed no one has been able to criticise even one aspect of this policy, and urged the party men to read, understand and translate it.

Stating that this education policy gives priority for local language as medium in primary and secondary education, he said “before this India was studying, now- Bharat will study.” Nadda also requested the Karnataka Education minister to implement the National Education Policy in the state, and said the party should also get involved in it.

Noting that the BJP government in Karnataka has completed one full year of its tenure under the “dynamic leadership” of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, Nadda said, this tenure has been mostly amidst COVID 19 crisis and flood-like situation triggered by rains.

COVID-19 crisis as well as supporting the marginal sections of the society has been managed effectively under the leadership of Yediyurappa, he said, adding, the Karnataka government has done a “wonderful job.”