The occasion marked the merger of Rashtriya Kranti Party, founded and led by the former BJP chief minister Kalyan Singh with its parent party, BJP.
In the presence of BJP national president Nitin Gadkari and veteran leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and Rajnath Singh, the call was sounded out to party workers to ensure more than 50 seats for the party from UP alone. It would be worth mentioning here that party has 10 Lok Sabha members from UP.
Former BJP national president, who had also been the one-time chief minister of UP, Rajnath Singh said that the rally was the turning point for BJP to get good number of seats.
Former chief minister and president of Rashtriya Kranti Party, now merged in BJP, Kalyan Singh urged the BJP leaders and workers to march for wider reach.
Giving the gurumantra for success, Kalyan Singh said one night chaupal in a week in the villages alone would ensure winning the half of the battle.
With the return of Kalyan Singh, party is back on its pet Hindutva agenda to win over the masses.
Kalyan Singh, while beginning his speech and concluding, raised the slogan of “Jai Sriram” several times.
It would be worth mentioning that at one time Kalyan Singh was the main poster boy of the saffron brigade promoting Hindutva.
The manner in which slogans were being raised for “Narendra Modi Zindabad”, and “Narendra Modi lao BJP bachao” made it amply clear that the Gujarat CM has many supporters in the state.
There is perception amongst the BJP workers in the state that if Narendra Modi is fielded from Lucknow, it would help in the revival of the party not only in Lucknow, but it would also greatly benefit other constituencies.
The tone and tenor of speeches of the BJP leaders at the rally made it clear that the party would make Muslim appeasement by Samajwadi Party in next the Lok Sabha polls into a big rallying point. Senior leader charged Samajwadi Party government for being soft towards Muslim terrorists.
The way Rajnath Singh praised the regime of Kalyan Singh for good governance and sending 60 Lok Sabha MPs from UP, and pointed out the contrasting deterioration in law and order during the Akhilesh Yadav government, it is obvious that the party would highlight these issues to masses for next Lok Sabha polls.
BJP leaders present at the rally further stressed that the party would take on their rival Congress on the sensitive issue of “Hindu terror” remark made by union home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
BJP and RSS are also backing VHP’s grand design to utilise the ongoing Kumbh Mela at Allahabad and presence of large number of people from all over the country and saints to discuss the issue of “Hindu terror’ remarks and turn it into a tough bone of contention for next year’s Lok Sabha polls.
In order to give out the message of unity, all the senior leaders from the state were present at the dais. Prominent among those present included Lucknow MP Lalji Tandon, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Rajnath Singh, State BJP president Luxmi Kant Bajpai, Kalraj Mishra, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
Since Lucknow has been the “karmbhumi” for Atal Behari Vajpayee and he had been elected to Lok Sabha during several terms, that is why the rally was named after him.(IPA Service)
BJP RESURRECTS HINDUTVA CAUSE AT LUCKNOW RALLY
MERGER WITH KALYAN SINGH STRENGTHENS LOK SABHA HOPES
Pradeep Kapoor - 2013-01-22 13:07
LUCKNOW: BJP has launched its campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls with the “Atal Shankhnaad rally” held in Lucknow in January 21.