Popularity test for junior partner? BJP to hold separate rally

WHILE AKALI DAL IS BUSY WITH ‘POL KHOL’ DRIVE, BJP TO HOLD ‘BAJAO DHOL, KHOLO POL’, AN INITIATIVE OF STATE CHIEF AND UNION MINISTER SAMPLA

JALANDHAR : At a time when the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has been holding “Pol Khol” rallies to expose the one-year of the Congress government in the state, its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen a separate path to show its strength by holding a massive state-level rally under the party’s banner.

The BJP’s rally, “Bajao Dhol, Kholo Pol”, an initiative of Union minister Vijay Sampla, to be held in Jalandhar on March 18, is also aimed at exposing the Congress rule in one year.

A senior leader in the party said that the BJP is preparing the ground to unite workers and supporters for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to be held in 2019.

“Either finance minister Arun Jaitley or textiles minister Smriti Irani is expected to address the rally as Sampla has been trying his best that one of them must come,” another BJP leader said.

The BJP has not asked SAD leaders and workers to mobilise people for the rally, but the party is claiming to mobilise at least 50,000 people fort he rally, which will be held at the Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in the city.

“We hope to gather over 50,000 people from the state to attend the rally,” said Ramesh Sharma, president of the Jalandhar (urban) unit of the BJP.

It has been learnt that BJP leaders have been holding meetings at the district level and asking its workers to mobilise a maximum number of people from their areas.

Pawan Kumar Tinu, a SAD MLA from Adampur, has confirmed that the BJP has not involved the local leaders of their party for the rally.

“So far, we have not received any intimation from any BJP leader about any rally they are organising,” Tinu said.

Manoranjan Kalia, a senior BJP leader and former minister, said that it will be the BJP’s independent rally; however, they would invite SAD president and former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal to attend it.

“We will expose the already exposed Congress government which has failed to live up to its single promise made before the assembly elections,” Kalia further said.

Vijay Sampla couldn’t be contacted despite repeated attempts.