BJP convention works up ‘Brand Modi’ amid ‘haath ki safai’

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, February 18: The inaugural day of the national convention of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saw the party making a display of its comfort zones. The saffron outfit is holding the national convention at ‘Bharat Mandapam’ where the party delegates were welcomed with men and women dancing to the loud musical beats.

The BJP delegates spent the whole day in comforts of an auditorium where the light works dazzled them. The BJP workers escaped the dust and smoke of Ramlila Ground. The saffron outfit had held a similar event ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections at the Ramlila Ground.

Thousands of the party workers from across the country were called at Delhi’s top political destination where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the scheme for 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections from among the general category in government jobs and also for admissions in educational institutions.

The first day of the BJP’s national convention saw usual sound bytes on ‘Vikasit Bharat’ and ‘Modi ki Guarantee’. The BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde informed the media that the party workers have been asked to go to the polling booths in the next 100 days to amplify achievements of the Modi government.

The BJP president, Jagat Prakash Nadda, in his inaugural speech invented the acronym of GYAN to build a broader electoral catchment base for the saffron outfit consisting of ‘Gareeb (poor)’, youth, ‘annadata (grain growers, farmers)’, and ‘Nari Shakti (women)’. The middle class, a seemingly impotent electoral constituency, missed out from Nadda’s attention.

The first day also saw the BJP national convention coming out of a political resolution, which in essence sought spotlight on Modi. This is seen as a part of the strategy, which has been explained by the election strategist Prashant Kishor, to seek the contest of the Lok Sabha elections in the name of Modi.    

But the BJP yesterday made news for the party’s ongoing ‘haath ki safai’. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath hogged the limelight for his rumoured switch to the BJP from the Congress along with 23 MLAs in the state. The Congress communication department chief Jairam Ramesh showed no interest to trash speculations amid indications from the party that Nath’s switch is no more a surprise.

The BJP is working up ‘Brand Modi’ as a part of the organizational activity for years. Yet, the BJP is also apparently seeking to suck the lifeblood of the principal political foe, the Congress. This ‘haath ki safai’ by the BJP helps the party in psychologically tilting the scale in the Lok Sabha elections in its favour.  

Subscribe: youtube.com/@TheRaisinaHills Join: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaFAp9b60eBiuA8v1x0s

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save

About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

See author's posts