Modi, Shah to discuss poll-related issues with colleagues at BJP Natl Executive meet

New Delhi: Strengthening organisation and to increase the outreach initiatives keeping an eye on the ensuing assembly polls in four states and next year's general elections will be the focus of deliberations at the two-day BJP National Executive meet here beginning Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and top leaders from the central leadership and the states will participate in the brain storming session wherein strategies will be drawn to ensure among other things that the benefits of welfare measures undertaken by the Modi government can be taken to the people in the most effective manner.

Before the executive meet, Mr Shah will hold a meeting with the party office bearers. The office bearers meeting likely to get underway at around 1000 hours will be held for about four hours and the national executive meet will be held in the afternoon, sources said.

"The National Executive meet will get underway at 1500 hours and this will be attended by Prime Minister Modi and all senior leaders," BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters here on Friday.

"This will be first National Executive meet of the party when Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will not be with us," he has said.

The party is set to discuss at length issues like the National Register for Citizenship (NRC) with senior leaders stating that the saffron party does not look at the NRC as only an issue for the state of Assam. Some party leaders especially from West Bengal have already echoed their demand suggesting that similar NRC exercise should be carried out in other states as well.

The political resolution at the national executive meeting could also include one paragraph lauding the move of the Modi Government that reversed Supreme Court's order on the alleged dilution of the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

During the just-concluded Monsoon session of Parliament, a bill to overturn the March 20, 2018 Supreme Court order related to 'misuse of law' and safeguards against arrest under the SC/ST law was passed.

The new bill pushed by the Modi regime rules out any provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of atrocities against SC/STs, notwithstanding any court order. It also says no preliminary inquiry will be required for filing a criminal case and an arrest.

However, a section of BJP leaders have cautioned the leadership on the possibility of disgruntlement amongst the upper castes on the stance taken by the NDA dispensation against the court order.The matter is again before the Supreme Court.(UNI)