Bhubaneswar: The BJP Odisha unit has decided to focus on farmers, women, youth and students in the state for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections to be held this year, a party leader said.
This was resolved in the three-day meeting attended by BJP leaders to decide the roadmap for the next elections. The meeting was attended by BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, central observer Sunil Bansal and assistant observer Vijaypal Singh Tomar, he said.
Tomar Sunday asked the party’s frontal organisations to focus on women, youth and students.
“We were asked to make people understand that the women self-help groups were mostly funded by the Centre and not the state government. Though the BJP-led central government spent a lot, the state BJD government takes all credit. We will appraise the women the facts,” BJP Mahila Morcha state president Aiswarya Biswal told reporters after the meeting.
This apart, the Mahila Morcha will also highlight the ‘rising atrocities’ on women in Odisha.
The BJP has set a target on women voters as the ruling BJD’s victory ‘mantra’ lies with the women self-help groups who have ensured the regional party’s victory in subsequent elections in Odisha. There were about 70 lakh women who were members of different SHGs and they are used for the political benefits of the ruling party, she said.
Similarly, the meeting also resolved that the party would highlight on unemployment and youths migrating to other states in search of work due to lack of opportunities in the state.
The state BJP has also told its student members that the party would hold regular college union elections if it comes to power in the 2024 elections. The BJD government has stopped the college union elections since 2018.
In a press conference, BJP state unit president Manmohan Samal Sunday said: “If BJP comes to power in Odisha, all the people cheated by chit fund companies will get back their hard-earned money within 24 hours. We will return money to the poor investors by promulgating an ordinance.”
Samal said the BJP will also ensure that the farmer’s income is doubled in Odisha and farmers get all the benefits from different programmes announced by the central government.
The Congress ridiculed the BJP’s promises. OPCC president Sarat Pattnayak said: “We have seen how the BJP government has deposited Rs 15 lakh in bank account of each family in the country by retrieving black money. The people have also seen how the BJP government provided employment to the youths. The BJP promises were never met in the past.”
BJD leader and MLA Padmanav Behera said: “The people of Odisha will not be misled by the promises of BJP, They have seen how Naveen Patnaik government implements schemes for poor and needy people. The people will not believe in BJP’s hallow promises.”
PTI