Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the membership drive of the ruling BJP from his Lok Sabha constituency in Varanasi on Saturday, 6 July, noting that it will further connect people from all walks of life with the saffron party.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion, the prime minister also talked about the Union Budget 2019-20 and his thoughts on India's growth trajectory in the coming years.
“From the soil of Kashi, I greet each dedicated worker of the party. Today, I got an opportunity to launch the BJP’s membership campaign from Kashi,” he said, pointing out that it will strengthen the saffron party.
The launch of the membership drive coincided with the 118th birth anniversary of the party's founder, Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
‘New India Racing Ahead’
Referring to the provisions in the Union budget, Modi said a "new India" was on the threshold of racing ahead.
"It is important to know about the USD 5 trillion economy because some people were casting doubts over the competency of Indians, saying that achieving the target is very difficult," he added.
The prime minister slammed the critics, saying, "These people are professional pessimists."
Speaking at the membership drive, Modi said that the Centre had given direction to achieve a goal of $5 trillion economy, and announced decisions related to it.
He also stressed on the importance of water, saying that it was an important condition of development. “So, efforts are being made to unite the whole country for water conservation and water harvesting,” PM Modi said.
Earlier, soon after his arrival here on a day-long visit, Modi unveiled a statue of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at the airport.
The prime minister was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) working president JP Nadda and the state unit chief of the saffron party, Mahendra Nath Pandey.
Anil Shastri and Sunil Shastri, sons of late Lal Bahadur Shastri, were present at the venue as also Uttar Pradesh minister Siddharth Nath Singh, a kin of the former prime minister.
Modi’s Second Visit to Varanasi After Polls
Modi was scheduled to address around 5,000 party workers at Deendayal Upadhyaya Trade Facilitation Centre in Bada Lalpur, where he was also supposed to felicitate some of the party workers.
This is Modi’s second visit to the constituency after winning the Lok Sabha elections.
PM Modi had visited his constituency on 27 May to thank people for keeping faith in his government, PTI reported.
‘Target of Minimum 20 Percent’
Sharing the details of the BJP's membership drive, its vice-president Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the party has set a target of adding minimum 20 percent more workers in its current strength through this drive, which will conclude on 11 August.
Anyone can become member by giving a missed call on a mobile number or by filing a form, Chouhan said in a statement, according to PTI.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh was supposed to participate in the BJP's membership drive programme in Jaipur, BJP chief and Home Minister Amit Shah in Hyderabad and Union Road Minister Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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