NEW DELHI: In an apparent move at consolidation of the other backward caste (OBC) vote base in poll-bound Gujarat, the BJP will hold a conclave on September 18 at Fagwel in the northern part of the state.
The assembly elections in the state are likely to be held in December 2017 or January 2018.
BJP president Amit Shah along with senior party leaders would seek to make a case before representatives of 146 other backward castes about the Congress party creating obstacles in granting constitutional status to the OBC Commission. The OBC conclave is being seen by the saffron outfit as a forum for the party to launch its election campaign in the state.
“The BJP chief along with scores of leaders will take part in the OBC conclave at Fagwel. There are about 146 other backward castes in the state. The conclave will see participation by leaders and activists of most of the castes. The move is aimed to bring all the OBCs under one umbrella,” said a BJP national general secretary.
The party is seeking to politically exploit the Congress forcing the passage of amendments in the OBC Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha in the fag end of the Monsoon session of Parliament. This the BJP said, created obstacles in setting up of the Commission.
“The Congress has shown that the party is anti-OBC. First, the Congress delayed the constitution of the body by referring the bill to the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha and afterwards by passing amendments on the basis of the numerical advantage it has in the Upper House. The convention will discuss the actions of the Congress in Parliament,” added the BJP national general secretary.
Shah also reviewed the organisational preparedness for the upcoming assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. Later, he called a core group meeting of the BJP leaders on Bihar.
Shah will also participate in a cleanliness drive in Ranchi on September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which the party and its governments will celebrate as ‘seva divas’ (service day). He will be in Jharkhand on a three-day visit starting Friday. He will preside over a meeting of the party’s national office bearers from the state, the core group in the state, MPs and MLAs, executive members, state morcha chiefs, general secretaries, district chiefs among others, a statement said.