BJP launches membership drive in Delhi, Haryanvi singer-dancer Sapana Chaudhary joins party
New Delhi, Jul 7: The BJP's membership drive was launched in the national capital on Sunday, with famous Haryanvi singer-dancer Sapana Chaudhary joining the party in the presence of senior leaders, including Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Chaudhary had campaigned extensively for the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in May but stopped short of joining the saffron party even though there was talk that she would contest the polls.
Earlier in March, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Raj Babbar had announced on Twitter that she had joined the party. Chaudhary, however, categorically denied it.
Besides Chaudhary, seven others, including a specially-abled youth, a first-time voter, retired Army officers and bureaucrats and a street vendor, joined the BJP at the event held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Chouhan, who is the national in-charge of the BJP's membership drive, asked party workers to ensure its victory in the Delhi Assembly polls early next year by enrolling members from each booth and all sections of the society.
"According to the 'Sarv Vyapi, Sarv Sparshi' (covering all areas, touching base with all) slogan of the campaign, you have to work hard to ensure that new members come from each booth and each section of the society. With a large heart ensure that no section remains untouched," he said.
As against the target of adding 20 per cent members to the party, Delhi BJP has decided to bring 10 lakh people to the party fold, said Kuljeet Chahal, campaign in-charge in Delhi.
Chouhan asked party workers and leaders affiliated with Shakti Kendras (groups of polling booths) to devote a week's time to the drive.
He also heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing him as a "movement".
Speaking about Amit Shah, Chouhan said the BJP president could produce "oil from sand", citing the party's success in Assam, Tripura and West Bengal.
National general secretary (organisation) Ramlal asked party workers and leaders to make efforts to enrol 50 per cent new members from each of the over 13,800 booths in Delhi, with a special focus on those where the party strength is low.
Tiwari assured senior party leaders that the membership drive will be an "unprecedented" success in Delhi and suggested that new members should represent all walks of life.
He also lauded Modi's leadership, saying he was appreciated by all world leaders.
The BJP's membership drive in Delhi will conclude on August 11. Members will be enrolled online as well.
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PM must clarify whether he endorses Sarma's 'utterly shameful' remarks on Kharge: Priyanka
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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the use of "abusive" language by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is "utterly shameful" and added Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify whether he endorses this "insult".
Sarma had triggered a row on Tuesday when he hit out at Kharge, saying that he was "speaking like a mad man" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The kind of abusive and derogatory language used by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against the Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, is utterly shameful and unacceptable."
She said Kharge is one of the most senior leaders in the country and serves as an enlightened representative not only of the Congress party but also of the Dalits and the marginalised sections of the nation.
"By insulting him, the BJP chief minister has insulted crores of people across the country," she said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify to the nation: does he endorse this insult directed at crores of Indians?" she said.
The Congress on Tuesday accused Sarma of insulting party chief Kharge and demanded an unconditional apology from him for his "deplorable conduct" that it alleged reflects the "anti-Dalit mindset" of the BJP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday had said the use of "derogatory language" against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by Sarma was an insult to the entire SC/ST community, and the silence of Prime Minister Modi on the matter "is not his helplessness, but his consent".
"If the prime minister sees an attack on the dignity of crores of Dalits in the country and does not speak up - he is not only shirking his responsibility, but is also a party to that insult," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the use of "vulgar and derogatory language" by Sarma against Kharge "is entirely condemnable, shameful, and unacceptable".
"Kharge ji is a senior and popular Dalit leader of the country - his experience, stature, and prestige are unparalleled. Insulting him is not an insult to one individual alone, but also to crores of people from the SC-ST community in this country," he posted.
This, he said, just reflected the "old and premeditated mindset" of the BJP-RSS and was nothing new.
"Whether it is the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, belittling Dalit leaders, or personal attacks on representatives of the SC-ST community - the history of BJP and RSS bears witness that whenever a Dalit leader speaks the truth, they stoop to humiliate him," Gandhi said.
"This is their ideology, this is their true character and face," he added.
Posing a direct question to the prime minister, he asked, "Do you support Himanta Sarma's use of this language? Your silence is not helplessness, it is consent."
