BHOPAL: State BJP has made elaborate arrangements to celebrate ‘anna utsav’, an ambitious drive to distribute ration bags to 1.15 lakh BPL (below poverty line) beneficiaries across Madhya Pradesh on August 7.
Party leaders in each district will welcome beneficiaries by offering them ‘peele chawal’. Opposition Congress has termed the campaign as an act of personal branding at the cost of the real beneficiaries.
“BJP has planned a massive nationwide drive from August 7 under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) to celebrate ‘anna utsav’ where ration will be distributed in bags to 100 beneficiaries each at 25,435 PDS (public distribution system) shops across the state”, said BJP state general secretary Bhagwandas Sabnani.
“The bags will bear the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Each bag will contain free ration”, Sabnani said.
Sources in BJP disclosed that party workers will select the beneficiaries in their respective areas and contact them. BJP is also mulling a massive outreach drive ahead of by-polls on one Lok Sabha and three assembly seats.
Congress raised questions and alleged a personal branding exercise. “BJP has mentioned 1.15 lakh families as beneficiaries. This itself is contradictory to BJP’s claim ,” said Congress state spokesperson Narendra Saluja.
