Union ministers begin 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'

THE BJP's 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' involving newly-inducted Union Cabinet ministers seeking people's blessings commenced across States on Thursday.

While the new Ministers of State (MoS) had taken out the Yatra for three days from August 16-18, the newly-inducted Cabinet ministers are taking out the Yatra for three days from August 19-21.

Apart from seeking blessings, the Yatra is also aimed at telling people "how the opposition parties, primarily the Congress, did not allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce these ministers, who came from ordinary backgrounds, in both Houses of the Parliament on the first day of Monsoon Session".

The Union ministers are also utilising the Yatra as an opportunity to explain to the people about the welfare measures adopted by the Modi government in the last seven years.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, who was promoted during the recent Cabinet reshuffle, took out the Jan Ashirwad Yatra in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday.

Similarly, Union Labour Minister and BJP national General Secretary Bhupender Yadav sought people's blessings in Rajasthan. He had earlier sought people's blessings in Haryana.

Meanwhile, Union Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy started his Yatra after offering prayers to Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy at Tirumala. During his Yatra, Reddy paid respects to martyrs at the Amar Jawan statue and visited the vaccination centre at the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital (SVIMS) in Tirupati.

According to party leaders, Reddy will cover eight Lok Sabha and 17 Assembly constituencies. Similarly, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya sought people's blessings in his home state Gujarat, while Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri participated in the Yatra in South Delhi along with local BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri. All the new Cabinet ministers have reached their home States for the first time after being inducted into the Union Cabinet last month. BJP national General Secretary and the convenor of the Yatra, Tarun Chugh, had said earlier, "All the 39 newly inducted ministers in the Union Cabinet will seek people's blessings during the three-day long Jan Ashirwad Yatra in 19 States.

"Together, all the ministers will cover 19,567 km, 212 Lok Sabha constituencies and 265 districts across the country."