In its bid to create awareness across the country on the "positive impact" on stripping Jammu & Kashmir of its autonomy accorded to it by Article 370 , the BJP has planned 10 meetings of its senior leaders and Union Ministers in the State, including a large gathering in Srinagar, the State Capital.
The Modi-Government has done away with Article 370 and Article 35-A, pertaining to the exclusive residency rights of the Kashmiri natives, by a vote of Parliament on August 05.
The 'Jan- Jagran Abhiyan' (public awareness campaign) launched for the purpose would take National party leaders, MPs, MLAs and Ministers to different parts of the country including Jammu & Kashmir.
Under the programme, the party has decided to organise 370 small indoor meetings and 35 big meetings, signifying Article 350 and Article 35 A, across the country, including six in Jammu and Kashmir.
BJP President Amit Shah would lead party campaign in Mumbai on September 22. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other Union Ministers will take part in the party's rally on the eve of Maharaja Hari Singh's 125th birthday on Sunday at Jammu.
Besides the general public, these meetings will target opinion-makers and influential personalities from different walks of life. Two meetings have been held in Udhampur and Kathua in Jammu & Kashmir and going by the response, it has been decided to organise four more such meetings, party leaders 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 mass meeting is also planned to be held after September 25 in the J & K.
One meeting each is being planned at Baramulla and Anantnag in Kashmir valley as the state unit has proposed to organise the meeting at these two locations, the source said.
Sources said though the party had decided to organise meetings at 20 locations across Gujarat but given the encouraging response, a meeting will be held in each assembly constituency.
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.
Former Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, party's MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal and MP Tejaswi Surya are also 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.
