BJP plans to organise 10 meetings in J-K on Article 370

As part of its ongoing nationwide campaign in support of the abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP plans to hold 10 meetings of its senior leaders and Union ministers in the state, including a large gathering in Srinagar.

The 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan' (public awareness campaign) was launched by the BJP in favour of the abrogation the state's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. Under it, the party has decided to organise 370 small indoor meetings and 35 big meetings across the country, including six in Jammu and Kashmir.

Besides the general public, these meetings will target opinion-makers and influential personalities from different walks of life.

So far two meetings have been held in Udhampur and Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and going by the response, it has been decided to organise four more such meetings, a source in the party said.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh had addressed the meetings in Kathua and Udhampur, the source said, adding that three more meetings are scheduled for this month.

BJP vice-president Shyam Jaju, Union Ministers Krishan Pal Gurjar and Kiren Rijiju are scheduled to address one meeting each at Jammu, Rajouri and Leh on 22nd, 26th and 29th of this month.

Union Ministers V K Singh and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi are also scheduled to address the meetings. Naqvi is scheduled to speak on October 3 in Kargil, while Singh will speak in Doda.

A big meeting is also planned to be held after September 25, so far its date is not finalised but perhaps it will be the biggest among all the meetings planned for Jammu and Kashmir, a source in the party said.

One meeting each is also being planned at Baramulla and Anantnag as the state unit has proposed to organise the meeting at these two locations, the source said.

Party sources said buoyed by the response the BJP units in other states have received from the public in favour of abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, the central leadership has decided to increase the number of such meetings.

It was decided to organise meetings at 20 locations across Gujarat, but now the response is such a meeting will be held in each assembly constituency, the sources said.

Similarly 19 meetings were earlier planned in Tamil Nadu but now it will be held in 31 locations across the state, the sources said.

The party had formed a committee to carry out this campaign. It includes Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Dharmendra Pradhan and Jitendra Singh.

Besides them, former Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, party's MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal and MP Tejaswi Surya are members of this committee.

The panel is chaired by BJP working president J P Nadda, and party general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, vice-president Baijayant Panda and its national secretary Y Satya Kumar are also its members.