The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched a state-level awareness program Jan Ashirwad Yatra in Assam ahead of the Assembly elections.
“We will go to the people and talk about the work we have done, but we will also listen to them. There are some works that we could not complete in the last five years, and for that I will apologize to the people,” Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said while launching the first phase of the yatra, which will continue till March 9, from the Gupteshwar temple in Dhikiajuli. He said that the party is looking for another opportunity to continue development work.
Sarma said the yatra aims to highlight the government’s achievements and listen to the concerns of the people at the grassroots level. He added that they plan to directly engage voters in both rural and urban areas.
“The party plans to highlight achievements in infrastructure, healthcare, education, employment and welfare schemes, while also focusing on issues related to cultural identity and demographic balance in Assam,” Sarma said. He added that a social media initiative titled “Reel on Development” has also been planned to attract young voters.
The yatra will be temporarily suspended on March 3 and 4 due to Dhol Utsav and from March 10 to 15 due to major government programmes, including disbursement of Orunodoi funds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Assam and the BJP youth conference will also be held in Guwahati.
After resuming in mid-March, the campaign is expected to cover more than 400 kilometers across important assembly constituencies. The BJP said the yatra aims to reach out to about 100,000 people daily through public meetings, roadshows and community interactions. He added that the yatra seeks to establish direct contact with the people and communicate the development and welfare initiatives of the Union and state governments.
