Modi asks BJP MPs to embark on 'padayatra' on Gandhi birth anniversary

To mark Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed BJP MPs to embark on 'padayatra' in their constituencies between October 2 and October 31, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said Tuesday. Addressing the BJP parliamentary party meeting, Modi also asked Rajya Sabha members to visit constituencies where the BJP organization was weak.

Joshi said a parliamentarian will cover 150 km in his/her constituency. According to some MPs present in the meeting, Modi said these yatras will be "apolitical" with special focus on villages to make them self-reliant. It will also aim at promoting plantation drive and zero budget farming in villages, they said. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke on the budget and called it "visionary". "The PM told the meeting that whatever we said in Sankalp Patra (election manifesto) should get reflected in our vision of the future," said one of the MPs.