Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch a month-long padyatra (foot march) across the country to counter the growing assertiveness of the Congress-led Opposition amid the SIR row. The ruling party's pushback will begin on November 1, the same day Congress is culminating its nationwide signature drive with a mega 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.
The saffron party will infuse its overall influence into the campaign by deploying heavyweight leaders, including the chief ministers, under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The foot march across the country will be held till November 30.
Shah will lead the marches in southern and northern regions. On November 2, he will participate in a Hyderabad event while on November 5, he will be in Haryana.
The BJP will run the entire campaign in sync with the political atmosphere, particularly the upcoming elections, to strengthen its outreach to the public.
On November 1, the anniversary of 1984 riots, party's Sikh members will organise a special programme in Delhi to woo the community ahead of the Punjab polls while amplifying its nationalist messaging in the national capital.
The BJP's campaign is in stark contrast to that of Congress which is continuously disseminating its message of 'vote chori' and SIR irregularities from Delhi and state capitals.
The saffron party's strong leaders like CMs, MPs and MLAs will reach the ground to present facts directly to the people. The party is preparing a detailed 24-page dossier that will answer questions raised by the opposition.
The party will also take the campaign to social media and other communication platforms to reach a wider audience. The BJP will also highlight the alleged incidents of misuse of the Election Commission by the Congress during its tenure.
Congress plans biggest protest event
The BJP's announcement came amid mounting pressure from Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. After a series of street protests and fight from parliament to court, Rahul Gandhi has made a protest call at Ramlila Maidan urging people from all walk of life to participate.
The Congress is expecting a massive participation of over 10 lakh people in the protest, which would make it the biggest rally held by the party in years.
Ahead of the protest march, Congress has raised three demands - resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, rollback of SIR and return to ballot paper.