NEW DELHI: Following the morale-wrecking defeat in three Hindi-speaking states in the recent elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party plans to use its upcoming National Council meeting to send the message that it may be down but is certainly not out.
The January 9-10 meeting was scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi indoor stadium here. But at the instance of party chief Amit Shah, the venue has now been shifted to Ramlila Maidan in the Capital, so as to accommodate more party workers and turn the event into a show of strength.
The decision to make it a grand spectacle, a senior party functionary said, would serve three purposes: dispel the apparent gloom within the rank and file; send a message to those within that the Modi-Shah duo is still the party’s best bet; and convey to its political adversaries that the recent loss was only a blip.
“Amit Shah cancelled the Indira Gandhi national indoor stadium as the venue and opted for the Ramlila ground. It is part of his strategy to boost the morale of the party workers, who have been considerably affected by the loss in the recent Assembly elections,” the senior leader said.
While Shah is learnt to be working overtime to iron out the rough edges in the organisation after the poll rout, sources said plans are on to unveil new measures to lift the image of the Modi government in rural areas, particularly among the farmers.
“There’s a clear admission that the party has a daunting task in the run-up to the 2019 polls in rural areas where the Congress has succeeded in making inroads at our expense. The BJP-led state governments, too, have been asked to come up with measures to effectively address rural distress,” sources said. The thrust of these measures would be to provide tangible gains to the people within a short span of time. “Similar moves are being contemplated in the Prime Minister’s Office,” the sources said.
4,000 expected at meet
About 4,000 delegates are expected to participate in the BJP National Council meeting, which will be held after more than two years. It will kick off the BJP campaign to retain power in the 2019 LS elections.