PM interacts with BJP cadre in Varanasi thru NaMo app

Varanasi (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held an interaction with BJP workers of his Varanasi parliamentary constituency, exhorted them to vigorously conduct a micro-donation campaign with the aim to connect with people ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election and reaffirmed the party's commitment to development.

Restoration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, women empowerment, infrastructure and healthcare development were among the topics that came up for discussion during the interaction through the NaMo app. Modi said, "The BJP is running a micro-donation campaign and a person can make a donation of even Rs 5." He suggested a competition among booths to see which one can collect donations from the maximum number of people and added the aim is not to collect money but to connect with people. The prime minister said elections are a test for political parties. "It is also a training camp for the development of workers.... Our focus should be on winning the election...there should also be expansion of the organisation and development of the workers. These two mantras we must remember," he said.

"This is election time and we have to make people understand the power of each and every vote. Yogi-ji (Adityanath) and I are able to do so much because the people of UP have blessed us with their votes," he said. Assembly polls will be held in Uttar Pradesh in seven phases beginning February 10. Varanasi will vote in the seventh phase on March 7. Interacting with one of the 'karyakartas' (party workers), Prime Minister Modi asked him to expand the reach of the government's welfare schemes to farmers and said they should make farmers aware of the use of chemical-free fertilisers.

Modi also talked about several central schemes which are benefitting the people of Varanasi at large. The prime minister said a section in the NaMo app, called 'Kamal Pushp', has stories about inspiring 'karyakartas' (party workers). "The place we have reached today, for that about 3-4 generations of Jan Sangh leaders and workers have sacrificed their lives. They did not get anything from politics, yet they remained involved for the country. 'Kamal Pushp' has photographs and information about such old people, what they have done in the days of Jan Sangh, what they have done for the BJP, what they have done during the Emergency, how much pain they have taken to enable the BJP move forward," he said.