With the country in complete lockdown till April 15 to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Bharatiya Janata Party has joined the government’s efforts to provide food to those who are in need.
The crisis is also a big test for J.P. Nadda who assumed charge as party president in January this year. Nadda has been engaging with party workers through audio stream to speak to them every day. On Friday, he spoke to 40,000 workers of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He also held meeting with MPs from Delhi and Mumbai.
As per the plan, all party office bearers have been given the task to feed five persons each to reach the target of five crore, and adopt a senior citizen or family in their vicinity. The BJP, which has over 17 crore members, has asked one crore members to be actively involved in feeding people.
Nadda who holds review meeting every day with his party office bearers has also asked them to coordinate with the local administration so that labourers, who are headed home or stranded due to the shutdown, reach their destination and get food. As the ruling party, the BJP has advantage over political groups in tying up with the administration in providing help.
The BJP chief also said that all of the party’s state headquarters have set up toll-free numbers to respond to calls if anyone needs food or help. “We are determined that nobody should sleep hungry,” Nadda said.
Nadda, who earlier held the health portfolio in the Union cabinet, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a true global leader as he had taken the lead to hold a meeting of the SAARC countries and G20 nations to devise a joint strategy to fight COVID-19.
