The state BJP now has a shadow organisation that monitors its working. The bodies known as aayams will serve to ensure grassroots level reach of the party. Believed to be a move taken after the recent bypoll debacle, the aayams will move a step beyond the party functioning and not only reach out to opinion makers in the society, but also try to mould and motivate them in favour of BJP. 

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The concept is a brainchild of the organisation secretary Chandrashekhar and is being termed as Sarv Sparshi Abhiyan. The focus is on people associated with the fields of education, medicine, technology, sports, defence and art. Farmers, youth, women, schedule caste and schedule tribes are also high on priority.    

It is also being seen as an effort to re-connect and make use of the experience of partymen, who have become dissociated over the last few years. Sunil Kothari, who has earlier served on various party posts is the coordinator of these bodies. A few among those who have been inducted into the newly-formulated aayams are Prem Poddar, Subhash Singhi, Nirmal Nahata, Yogesh Gautam, Suman Gupta and Vimal Katiyar. 

Speaking to DNA, Sunil Kothari said, “The work of the aayams is to benefit the party. But we have a specialised functioning. We will try to be in touch with anyone who is an opinion-maker or achiever in his / her particular field. We will tell them about our ideology and try to mould them in our favour.”

According to a party functionary who did not wish to be named, “The party feels that a lot of work has been done by the government and still there is lack of conducive environment in its favour. The aayams are an effort to counter that. The aayams will over the next some time spread up to the booth level.”    

RSS functionary Chandrashekhar had been deputed to the post of organisation general secretary in August last year after a long gap of nine years. He is said to be close to Amit Shah and his appointment had come close on the heels of Shah’s visit to Jaipur in July last year.

To Reconnect

  • The focus is on people associated with the fields of education, medicine, technology, sports, defence and art. Farmers, youth, women, schedule caste and schedule tribes are also high on priority.    
  • It is also being seen as an effort to re-connect and make use of the experience of partymen.