Shah to visit houses in north - Learning experience lined up for party cadres

AVIJIT SINHA, TT, Siliguri, April 19: The BJP today said the national president, Amit Shah, would visit some houses in the plains of Darjeeling district on April 25 and explain the organisation's activities and various welfare schemes of the Narendra Modi government.

The exercise, the local BJP leaders said, would help grassroots workers learn as to how they should approach a family and boost the party's strength.

Shah will arrive in north Bengal for a day's trip on April 25, along with BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya, Dilip Ghosh, Rahul Sinha and Suresh Pujari.

"This is the first time that our national president will initiate such a micro-level exercise in north Bengal. It will be a learning session for booth-level BJP workers. They can learn from him as to how they should approach and speak to a family, apprise it of social welfare schemes of the central government, check whether they are receiving benefits of such schemes and help them receive the same if they don't. The explanation of the party's programmes is necessary for increasing the BJP's support base," Praveen Agarwal, the Siliguri (organisational) district president of the BJP, said today.

As the workers hear out Shah and other leaders, they can approach families in their respective areas in a similar manner in the future, the BJP leader said.

BJP insiders said in total, six teams headed by a national or state leader would be formed. One of the teams will be headed by Shah and each group will visit five houses on April 25, accompanied by booth level workers.

Ahead of the visit, Shah and other leaders will hold a meeting with booth-level workers.

"We have recommended some of the booths in Naxalbari block and Siliguri where the meeting can be held and visits to houses could be organised. The state leadership will take the final decision in consultation with national leaders. At the meeting, workers of that particular booth would be present and the BJP national president will interact with them on several organisational issues," Agarwal said.

According to BJP leaders in Siliguri and the suburbs, Shah's visit will be a major boost for the BJP. "The visit by the party president will be a major boost for BJP supporters here and we believe, they will continue working with a renewed vigour across north Bengal," a senior leader said.

On the same evening, the BJP president will meet members of the cultural clan in Siliguri. "A session has been convened at the indoor stadium here where our president will speak to writers and artists of Siliguri and the surroundings on several issues," Agarwal said.

The move by the BJP is significant ahead of panchayat polls in Bengal next year.

"By visiting houses and meeting booth-level workers, the BJP president wants to give a clear message that they should focus on strengthening the organisation by working at micro levels, particularly in rural belts, across the state," an observer said.