BJP’s two new depts to arm cadres with ‘knowledge power’

LUCKNOW: Months ahead of the UP assembly elections, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set up two new departments to arm its cadres with knowledge about the party’s ideology and various initiatives undertaken by it for the poor, women and marginalised sections of society. These two departments – documentation vibhag (department of documentation) and granthalaya e-pustakalay vibhag (department for e-libraries) – to be set up across all party offices in UP will serve the twin purposes.

“It’s important for the cadres to know their party, its ideology, initiatives and its history,” a senior BJP leader said while explaining the reason for setting up the new departments.

Since 2014 Lok Sabha polls, various leaders not rooted in the philosophy of ‘vichar parivar’, as the RSS-BJP and affiliates ideologically aligned with it are referred to, have joined the party. “With 2022 UP polls due in about seven months’ time, more leaders from other parties could be imported. But once in BJP, these leaders would have to embrace the party’s ideology too,” party leaders said.

The BJP has been setting up offices in all 75 districts of the state. It has set up offices in 53 districts so far, and by November, the party would have its offices in 69 districts. “As of now, we have procured 8,000 books for the e-library and soon all our district offices would have their own libraries,” a BJP leader said.

“Cadres of a party with such a great legacy as ours have to know the past and of course, the golden present,” a party leader said. TD Degree College, Ballia librarian Ram Milan Ram, who has been named the state convenor of the ‘granthalaya e-pustakalaya vibhag’, said: “We have plans to procure books on all political leaders, great personalities including those from other political parties.”

The libraries at the BJP offices would have books on all BJP greats, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a BJP leader said. “The libraries would also serve as resource centres to arm the cadre with details of various initiatives. The larger plan is to also have material on issues like farm laws, or the party’s service activity during the peak of Covid wave, available in these libraries so that the cadres could arm themselves with facts and counter the opposition bluff,” a BJP leader said.

Rajkumar, convener of the documentation department, said: “Documenting the party’s rise since those initial days isn’t a one-time exercise. It’s an ongoing work, one that will help generation next stay abreast of the party’s struggles.”