In Pics: Narendra Modi launches BJP's membership drive

New Delhi: BJP today launched a membership drive amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pitch for making it all inclusive so that every section of the society feels that their “flower” is represented in this “wonderful bouquet” of diversity.Becoming the first person to get the party's membership in the renewed drive, Modi said the BJP workers should toil hard like during an election campaign and make it an inspirational one across the globe.“The era of mass agitation for politics seems over... Now people expect parties to play significant role in public life,” he said at a function organised at the BJP headquarters here to launch the drive.Noting that India is full of diversity, Modi said BJP should reflect it and “every section of the society should feel that their ‘flower' is represented in this wonderful bouquet (of BJP).”He said that getting membership of BJP earlier was difficult but it has become easier now due to the digital revolution adopted by the party.He told the party cadres not to bother about other parties, contending that BJP has already taken a big lead.“Put your everything into it... Like you do during an election campaign... It (the drive) should become an inspiration for parties across the world,” the Prime Minister told the BJP cadres.“A toll-free number will also be launched and people would be asked to give a missed call on it. After that they will get their membership number and other details through SMS,” he said.In states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and others where the party is strong, the BJP will have to increase its membership by four times and work further towards cementing it permanently, he said.Madhya Pradesh has to raise its membership to two crore this time, as per the target, he said. In states where the party is not that strong, it has to ensure that the membership drive reaches from cities to towns, village and to booth level, the BJP leader said.The frontal organisations too have been given the task of registering full-time party members. BJP is the only party in the country which follows internal democracy in totality by holding elections every two years, Shah claimed.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to have his party membership renewed through a mobile text message, a first of its kind of measure introduced by the organisation.Party general secretary JP Nadda said BJP aims to ‘break all records' in enrolling new members in the six-month long drive as the party seeks to strengthen its base following its unprecedented victories in Lok Sabha elections as well as recent assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana.For the first time, the BJP has introduced the use of mobile and internet for people to become a party member.Anybody interested will have to call a mobile number, which would be disclosed on November 1, to start membership process, he said while addressing a press conference here.“The emphasis would be on mobile and internet...Party president Amit Shah will make Prime Minister Modi the first member through SMS and Modi will make Shah the second member by similar method at the party headquarters on November 1,” Nadda said.The party generally seeks to increase its members by 20 per cent during the drive, which is launched every sixth year, but this time it will work to break all previous records, Nadda said.The party presently has 3.25 crore members, though not all of them are active workers.The drive, however, will not be launched in poll-bound states of Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, where it will begin only after the assembly elections.Enthused by the ‘connect' of its catchy slogans with masses during the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has come out with new ones for the membership drive which include ‘sashakt Bhajpa, sashakt Bharat (strong BJP, strong India)' and ‘saath aayein, desh banayein (come together, build the country)'.The BJP will hold three workshops in Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata and similar exercises would be held at the state-level as well, Nadda said.While Bangalore would cater to south and west Indian states besides the UTs, Delhi would host central India states and Kolkata the eastern states. states will start membership drive from November 2.BJP embarked on a fresh membership drive amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong pitch for making it all inclusive so that all sections of the society feel their “flower” is represented in this “bouquet” of the party. Modi, who launched the renewed campaign and became its first member, asked the party cadres to be public representatives in true sense by living up to the people's expectations from the ruling party.Our country is full of diversity. BJP should also be seen as full of diversity. The bouquet of crores of BJP workers should be such that people from all regions should feel that their flower is also represented in this bouquet,” he said at a function here to launch the drive which will continue till March 31 next.“People from all sections should feel their representative is also part of this bouquet. The party's expansion should be such that it should touch everyone and have widest reach,” he said.The comments assume significance as BJP is mainly seen as a party confined to Hindus and Hindi heartland.Modi noted that people's expectations from political leaders and parties have changed over the years and they now expect them to play an important role in public life and help improve their lives.Contending that BJP has raced ahead of its rivals in the country, he told the party cadres to reach out to all sections of the society so as it represents the country's true diversity.“The era of mass agitations for politics seems over...Now people expect parties and their leaders to play significant role in public life,” he said.