In Delhi, Senior BJP leaders campaign to gain support for Centre's J&K move

New Delhi, Sep 22: Senior BJP office-bearers and Union ministers are meeting intellectuals and other prominent persons from different walks of life in the national capital to gain support for the Centre's decision to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. The BJP, as part of its nationwide campaign to create awareness about the Union government's August 5 decision on Jammu and Kashmir, aims to reach out to 2,000 prominent personalities from the fields of film, sport and academia among other.

"The campaign is aimed at meeting intellectuals, professionals and achievers in other fields to brief them about the need to abrogate Article 370 and how it will benefit the people of Jammu and Kashmir," said Satish Upadhyay, former Delhi BJP president and incharge of the campaign in the city. Titled as "Vyapak Jansampark and Jan Jagran Abhiyan (public awareness campaign)", the senior office-bearers and Union ministers are meeting people along with local MPs and other leaders, visiting them at their residences.

The recently-launched campaign will conclude after a month. It has two parts -- meeting prominent persons and hold public meetings to create awareness on the issue of Article 370 abrogation.

"The main objective of these meetings is to brief the benefit of the removal of Article 370 and 35-A to influential opinion makers in the society so that the narrative being driven against it could be effectively countered," Upadhyay said. The campaign began with BJP chief Amit Shah along with the party's Working president JP Nadda and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan meeting former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Jagmohan at his residence in Delhi on September 3. So far, senior leaders and Union ministers including Kirren Rijiju, Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan, Thawarchand Gahlot, BJP vice president Prabhat Jha, Faggan Singh Kulaste among others have met several prominent personalities, Upadhyay said.

Those who have been approached include former judges RS Sodhi, SK Mishra, noted danseuse Pratibha Prahalad, Kargil war hero Major General Lakhwinder Singh, sportsperson Rohit Rajpal and many others, he said. Nadda and Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Housing and Urban Affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri and other senior leaders and Union ministers will take part in the campaign in the coming days, Upadhyay said. He said the campaign has received positive response and will be over in the first week of October.