Nadda to launch campaign to woo farmers during daylong visit to Bengal on Jan 9

Almost a month after his convoycame under attack, BJP national president J P Nadda will bevisiting West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district on Saturday tolaunch the party's new campaign aimed at wooing farmers, amidthe ongoing protest over the contentious agriculture laws.

The top BJP leader, during his daylong visit, wouldalso hold a rally at Katwa and a roadshow at Bardhaman town,which would be followed by a press conference, sources in thesaffron camp said.

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 projectunder which he would collect rice from farmers' homes andbrief them about the benefits of the new legislations.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana andwestern Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at Delhi borders forover a month against the three laws. They have stayed putdespite heavy rains and waterlogging at protest sites over thelast couple of days, besides severe cold weather conditionsprevailing in and around the national capital.

''After our party president launches the campaign, ourcadres will fan out to 48,000 villages of the state, wherethey will be visiting households of farmers to collect riceand brief them about the new farm laws. Nadda ji will addressrallies, have lunch at a farmer's residence and hold a gramsabha meeting, during his visit,'' party sources said.

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

According to state BJP, Nadda's visit assumes immensesignificance as this will be his first visit to the stateafter the attack on his convoy during his journey to DiamondHarbour frm the city on December 10.

The Home Ministry had subsequently summoned three IPSofficers to serve in central deputation, following the allegedsecurity lapses which led to the attack on Nadda, kicking offa Centre-State war and leaving CM Mamata Banerjee fuming.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh had said that UnionHome Minister Amit Shah and Nadda would visit the state everymonth until the end of assembly elections.

Both Nadda and Shah were on a two-day visit to thestate on separate occasions in December.

Election to the 294-member Bengal Assembly is due inApril-May.