BJP leaders Ram Madhav, Nirmal Singh, Jugal Kishore Sharma and others during the 2-day State Working Committee Meeting at Katra. (Press Trust of India)
A two-day meeting of BJP state working committee today commenced at Katra in Reasi district.
The meeting started with the lighting of lamp and garlanding the portraits of 'Bharat Mata' and party ideologues by BJP state president Jugal Kishore Sharma in the presence of party's national general secretary Ram Madhav.
It was followed by welcome of senior leaders on stage and later felicitation of MLAs, MLCs, including ministers.
Reasi district president and MLA Ajay Nanda delivered the welcome address.
Mr Sharma, in his presidential address, termed the meeting as a milestone in the growth and development of the BJP in the state, which commenced immediately after having traversed continuous struggle and has now reached the stage to shape the destiny of the state.
Paying tributes to the struggle of martyrs, he recalled the sacrifices made in 1952-53 agitation, when even Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee laid down his life.
He also recalled achievements of Narendra Modi-led NDA government and hoped that it will write a new chapter in the progress of the country.
Ram Madhav, in his address, congratulated the BJP workers and said voting per cent managed by them during last Parliament election was even higher than the national average and in the assembly elections also its vote per cent was highest among all political parties, thereby a new chapter in party's history has been written.
MP and State Prabhari Avinash Rai Khanna said formation of coalition in the state heralds a new era as we are now having representatives in the assembly, council, while there were times we had few MLAs but not a single MLC.
The progress made by party has put us in the driver's seat of governance in the state and our activists should now realise that their responsibility now is to work towards mitigation of the problems of the people, he said.
In the first day of the meeting, reporting on membership drive from district and morcha presidents was also sought besides details about mass contact programme and training.
Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, former BJP state president Ashok Khajuria, Senior leader Chaman Lal Gupta and state general secretary Rajiv Jasrotia were also present during the meeting.