BJP forms 17 groups for LS polls, Rajnath to head manifesto committee
New Delhi, Jan 6: The BJP Sunday appointed senior leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley as the head of 20-member 'sankalp patra' (manifesto) committee and publicity wing respectively for the Lok Sabha polls as its president Amit Shah formed 17 groups in preparation for the elections.
Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are the other members of the committee tasked with preparing the party's manifesto, a statement said.
Jaitley will also be a member of this committee.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari will head a committee which will reach out to social and volunteer organisations while his Cabinet colleague Sushma Swaraj will head a group that will produce literature for the polls, it added.
Prasad will head the party's media group while Union minister Prakash Javadekar will lead the wing which will organise meetings of intellectuals.
The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May with the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a re-election.
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West Asia conflict: Modi calls ministerial meeting to review energy situation
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting Sunday evening with senior ministers to review to take stock of petroleum, power, and fertiliser sectors in view of the evolving West Asia situation, sources have said.
The focus of the meeting is to ensure uninterrupted supply, stable logistics and efficient distribution across the country, and the government is taking proactive steps to this end, they said.
Continuous monitoring of global developments to protect consumer and industry interests is the key focus of the government, they said.
On March 12, Modi said that the war in West Asia has triggered a worldwide energy crisis, posing a critical test of national character that requires dealing with circumstances through peace, patience, and increased public awareness.
The prime minister emphasised that his government is working relentlessly to address disruptions that have emerged in international supply chains.
"Continuous efforts are also underway to determine how we can overcome the disruptions that have occurred in the supply chain," Modi said.
The prime minister has spoken to many global leaders since the West Asia conflict started on February 28, with the US and Israel attacking Iran.
Iran has retaliated by attacking Israel and several of its Gulf neighbours.
Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which 20 per cent of the world's energy is transported. Since the conflict, very few ships have been allowed by Iran to cross it.
The blockade has resulted in severe disruptions in energy supply to many countries, including India.
Since the conflict, Modi has had telephonic conversations with leaders from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, France, Malaysia, Israel and Iran.
