Give up one meal to mark BJP foundation day: Nadda to party workers

BJP President JP Nadda on Monday asked the saffron party's workers to provide food packets to the needy, distribute home-made face covers and get signatures of people to express gratitude to emergency staff working during the lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The appeal was made to observe the 40th foundation day of the organisation.

New Delhi:BJP president J P Nadda asked party workers to give up one meal to show solidarity with people facing hardships during the ongoing lockdown to mark the organisation's foundation day on Monday.

Nadda issued a set of directives to party workers, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted it, urging them to follow these guidelines.

"We mark our party's 40th Anniversary when India is battling COVID-19. I appeal to BJP Karyakartas to follow the set of guidelines from our party president J P Nadda ji, help those in need and reaffirm the importance of social distancing. Let's make India COVID-19 free," Modi said.

Nadda has urged party workers to provide food packets to the needy, distribute home-made face covers and get signatures of people to express gratitude to emergency staff, from health professionals to sanitation workers and police besides bank and postal employees among others, working during the lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

They must maintain social distancing, he said.

"All BJP Karyakartas (workers) to give up one meal on our Foundation Day as a way to show solidarity with people facing hardships during the lockdown," one of his directions said.

"In the next one week, put a system in place where we can provide two homemade face covers to each person at our booth. We should circulate videos of preparation and distribution of such face covers with #WearFaceCoverStaySafe," the guidelines added

BJP Karyakartas should encourage 40 others to donate Rs. 100 each to PM-CARES Fund, it said.

In every booth, they should contact 40 houses to get their signatures on thank you letters to emergency staff, he said.

Nadda also asked them to read literature available in their house about the party and its senior leaders.

The BJP was founded on this day in 1980 by leaders of the erstwhile Jana Sangh, which had merged with the Janata Party to put up a united fight against the Indira Gandhi-led Congress in the 1977 Lok Sabha polls, held after the Emergency.

(With inputs from PTI)