BJP’s new JK focus: To strengthen base in Valley

Satisfied with the smooth functioning of coalition in J&K, the BJP has decided to shift its focus on strengthening its base in the state with a special focus on Kashmir region and to begin with BJP chief Amit Shah has convened a special session in Delhi on July 12 to devise a future strategy.

Almost all the office bearers, especially those who played their role in the ongoing membership drive of the BJP in the State, will participate in the day-long session.

“All the ministers from the state will participate in the session,” BJP’s Kashmir affairs in charge Ramesh Arora told .

He said that the session assumes significance given the fact that Shah has decided to give special attention to J&K to ensure larger participation of people in the BJP’s activities. “BJP had launched a Maha Sampark Abhiyan (Mass Contact Program) across the country. The Central leadership decided to include J&K actively in the process to ensure major participation of people in the party’s developmental activities,” said Arora.

He said that in the July 12 meeting, Shah would meet BJP ministers from J&K to get a firsthand account of the party’s ongoing developmental activities in the State. Pertinently, BJP managed a political space in J&K by forging ties with the PDP after winning 25 seats in Jammu region and despite drawing a blank from Kashmir and Ladakh region in the Assembly elections held last year.

Sources in the BJP revealed that  in July 12 meeting, Shah would first get the feedback about the ongoing membership drive in J&K and also direct the party men “steps to be taken in future.”

“The main aim of the BJP is to ensure as much as possible participation of people of J&K, especially Kashmir in the party’s developmental activities,” a source in the BJP said. The BJP has already claimed that it has registered 3.30 lakh new members from Kashmir region alone with 50,000 from Srinagar district alone. “Our membership drive is transparent. We have the photographs and all the relevant details of our new members in our office records,” said Altaf Thakur, BJP’s membership drive incharge for Central Kashmir.

Thakur said the meeting to be chaired by BJP chief in Delhi would lay focus on the party’s future strategy for the state. “Kashmir is a special case. We want Lotus to bloom in Kashmir. This is what our National General Secretary Ram Madhav told party men during his Srinagar visit recently,” Thakur said. Interestingly, Madhav had expressed his satisfaction over the smooth running of “PDP-BJP coalition government in J&K” stating that both parties have now started accommodating each other.

BJP spokesman for J&K, Khalid Jehangir said that the ministers would apprise the party chief about the difficulties they are facing in reaching out to people and seek suggestions in bridging the gap with the people. “There will be one-to-one meetings between BJP ministers with the party chief. Moreover on how to ensure smooth functioning of officials in the administration is also on the agenda,” said Jehangir.

He said at the culmination of the meeting, a “strategy draft” would be prepared for the party leaders of J&K that would lay focus on strengthening the BJP in all regions of the state, especially Kashmir.”