BJP to launch 'sanvad yatra' in Maharashtra from May 25

Mumbai: The BJP in Maharashtra will launch a 'sanvad yatra' from May 25 to reach out to the people, including farmers, and counter the Opposition's recently held 'sangharsh' campaign. It is going to be a 15-day-long tour of Maharashtra, state BJP chief Raosaheb Danve said today. "Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and I will start the yatra from two different locations so that we can cover a larger part of the state," he said. "We will meet farmers in their fields, hold discussions and also try to answer their queries about the state government's schemes and provisions made for their benefit," he said.

Danve said all the MLAs and elected representatives of BJP will participate in the yatra in their respective areas. "If we work hard today and establish a better communication with people, it will be easier for us in the next elections," he said. Fadnavis had last month said that the Opposition failed to reach out to the people through its 'sangharsh yatra'. "The people of this state are not responding to the sangharsh yatra as they have reposed their faith in us and they are expecting communication from our side," he said.

"So, we are going to start a reaching-out campaign, wherein the party workers in the state will go to the people. There will be target of reaching out to 25 lakh farmers. "As they (opposition) call their campaign a sangharsh yatra, we will call ours a sanvad yatra," Fadnavis had said. The Opposition Congress and NCP recently held the 'sangharsh yatra' to express solidarity with farmers over their demand of loan waiver.

As a part of the campaign, the leaders of the two parties held meetings with farmers at various places and addressed public gatherings. The Opposition also criticised Danve for his alleged derogatory comments made a few days back on 'tur dal' growers. However, Danve yesterday expressed regret over what he said but asserted that he has always been a farmers' sympathiser.