BJP to crowdsource suggestions for 2019 election manifesto

Two days after presenting an election-focused budget, the Bharatiya Janata Party launched a campaign to crowdsource ideas for its manifesto.

The BJP said it will reach out to 10 crore people asking them suggestions to be included in the manifesto for the 2019 elections. The party hopes to create a buzz around it before the campaign formally began since the announcement of elections later this month.

BJP chief Amit Shah and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also in charge of party's manifesto committee, launched the programme in New Delhi to engage with electorate in a “largest” ever initiative. It will be a month long exercise titled Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat, Modi Ke Saath.

The party has decided to seek suggestions under 12 special categories like good governance, women empowerment, youth and sports, inclusive growth, farmers, economy, foreign policy, infrastructure. The party has appointed 12 senior leaders to oversee the suggestions for these dozen sectors. They include Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Arun Jaitley, Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Dr Harashvardhan, Hardeep Puri, Ram Madhav, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe among others.

The BJP launched a special website and phone number to seek suggestions. Apart from seeking views through formal means like email and postcards, the party will also send out 300 raths to go all over the country. These raths (mechanised vans) will have electronic tablets where suggestions can be keyed in.

The party will also set up 7,500 boxes to collect ideas. Each state will have a 20-member team to collect and collate information and suggestions, Shah said.

The BJP also launched a film to hard sell its outreach programme with a slogan: Kam Kare Jo, Umeed Usi Se Ho (hope from the one who works).

Both Shah and Rajnath narrated the various scheme launched by NDA government.

“Before 2014, for 30 years, either it was populist or policies of appeasement. Only piecemeal solutions were offered in budgets to uplift 50 crore poor of the country. There was no concrete policy,” Shah said.

The BJP chief added that instead of working for the people, those in power were working to save their government. These “five-year” governments for the past 30 years pulled back the country.

It was only after 2014, when Modi came to power that development of the country started, Shah said.

“Modi government worked to change lives of 50 crore people through Ujjawala, Ayushman, Swachh Bharat schemes. For the first time, the marginalised in the country felt he was part of India,” Shah said.

Shah said that BJP government was asking for a mandate after five years. “We are different than any other party in the country. We have internal democratic system unlike family-run or caste-based parties. We function based on ideology rather than votebank,” he said.

Rajnath said Modi has become the biggest well-wisher of the farmers, he said. Shah enumerated Modi's achievements in the fields of internal security, foreign policy, cultural heritage, women empowerment.