Nadda in Bengal to launch BJP programme to woo farmers

BJP president J P Nadda arrivedin West Bengal on Saturday to launch his party's door-to-doorrice collection programme aimed at wooing farmers, amid theongoing protest in Delhi over the contentious agriculturelaws.

He will reach out to the farmers of a villagehere during his day-long visit to the state.

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This is Nadda's first visit to West Bengal after theattack on his convoy during his journey to Diamond Harbourfrom Kolkata on December 10.

Nadda arrived at Andal airport at around 11.45 am andtook a helicopter ride from there to reach Jagdanandpurvillage in Purba Bardhaman district, where he will first offerpuja at a temple and then meet the farmers.

An elaborate security arrangement has been put inplace across the district to prevent untoward incidents.

Nadda, in a bid to blunt opposition camp's ''anti-farmer'' allegations against the BJP-led central government,will float 'Ek Muthi Chawal' (a fistful of rice), a programmeunder which he would collect rice from farmers' homes andbrief them about the benefits of three new farm laws.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana andwestern Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at Delhi borders forover a month against the three laws.

The BJP chief will hold a roadshow from Clock Tower toLord Curzon Gate in Burdwan and address a press conferencetoo.

His address at ''Krishok Surokkha Gram Sabha'' (farmers'security meeting at village) in Jagadanandpur will mark thebeginning of 40,000 such meetings to be held by the BJP acrossWest Bengal before the assembly elections.

''After the launch of the campaign by our partypresident, our cadres will reach out to 48,000 villages of thestate, where they will be visiting farmer households tocollect rice and brief them about the new agriculture laws,'' asenior state BJP leader said.

Nadda will have lunch at a farmer's residence and holda gram sabha meeting during the day.

There are 71.23 lakh farmers' families in West Bengal,96 per cent of them small and marginal.

The saffron party has launched an aggressive campaignin West Bengal in its bid to end Chief Minister MamataBanerjee's 10-year-old reign in the state.

With Banerjee, also the head of the TrinamoolCongress, backing the farmers who are protesting against thethree agriculture laws, the BJP has gone all out to convincethem about the ''benefits'' of these Acts.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly aredue in April-May.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)