Focus on 2019? Modi, Shah meet BJP Chief Ministers
09:04PM Sun 23 Apr, 2017
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah held a three-hour brainstorming meeting with 13 party CMs and five deputy CMs on Sunday evening to discuss political challenges and the need to focus on delivering on key programmes ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The meeting, held after BJP's big wins in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly elections, and success in installing governments in Goa and Manipur, was seen as an exercise intended to focus the party's energies with the Modi government approaching its third year in office.
The Chief Ministers were expected to share their feedback and governance experiences while it was anticipated that the PM would do some plain talking on the need to remain committed to ensuring the success of reform initiatives like GST and financial inclusion programmes.
The current political situation has seen BJP record a string of wins in civic elections and assemblies with possible success in Delhi's municipal polls too after having suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Aam Aadmi Party in 2015.
Party sources said the meeting was intended to take stock and provide a clear political focus to the Chief Ministerss. The consultations were also expected to take note of political attacks on BJP over issues such as vigilantism and criticism that there is an attempt to impose a majoritarian agenda.
But BJP does not seem to be shying away from cultural battles as its leaders have attacked the opposition for equating political extremism with freedom of expression and given it an opportunity to play the nationalist card. This was the second meeting of party chief ministers with Modi since he came to power in 2014. A similar exercise was held in August last year.
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