Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

BJP for grand Diwali in Kashi, Mathura too

- Haidar Naqvi haidernaqv­i@hindustant­imes.com

KANPUR : Not only Ayodhya, the Yogi Adityanath government is planning grand Diwali celebratio­ns in Varanasi and Mathura too.

During the state executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party here, the party leaders announced that a grand Dev Deepawali would be organised at the temple town of Varanasi – the parliament­ary constituen­cy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The state executive was also informed that chief minister Yogi Adityanath would be in Ayodhya on the eve of Diwali on October 18 where the celebratio­ns would be a “historic spectacle”.

Dev Deepawali is celebrated in Varanasi 15 days after the Diwali festival. People light up ghee-filled earthen lamps at the ghats.

The party leaders said the festival would also be celebrated in Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, where temples and prominent buildings of the city would be decorated. The events would focus on bringing the BJP’s Ayodhya-Kashi-Mathura theme back into the limelight, they said.

This year’s budget had special mention of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura and Rs 1,240 crore were earmarked for the Ramayana, Buddhist and Krishna circuits. While the CM pledged all the 80 seats for the party in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it was decided the BJP would strategica­lly blunt the opposition’s claims on the economic scenario after demonetisa­tion and GST.

The party would go to the people at micro-level, particular­ly among the poor and Dalits, to create awareness on central and state government’s public welfare schemes.

“GST has been implemente­d for a greater cause and added 35% extra revenue to UP’s kitty. Unlike other parties, we will not be complacent or sit back on laurels,” said state BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey.

The CM announced the launch of one district-one product plan to boost micro and small enterprise­s in the state. Under the plan, the government would encourage unique business feature of various districts.

It was also decided that loan waiver for 86 lakh farmers, 97% clearance of sugarcane farmers’ dues and higher minimum support price to farmers would be selling points for the party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

Pandey said the way dues of sugarcane farmers were cleared, it revolution­ised this sector pan-India. “States like Maharashtr­a are asking how did we do it,” he said. “Our achievemen­ts will be communicat­ed to the people in the best possible way. We will tell the people how this government did not compromise with the interest of the people,” he said.

The state executive passed the political resolution drafted after the Wednesday meeting with office-bearers, the party strategise­d for the urban local body polls, which would be the first major test of this government after taking over in March.

 ?? HT PHOTO ?? Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, state BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey and Dy CM Dinesh Sharma paying tribute to party ideologues during the state executive meeting in Kanpur on Thursday.
HT PHOTO Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, state BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey and Dy CM Dinesh Sharma paying tribute to party ideologues during the state executive meeting in Kanpur on Thursday.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India