PM in Bengaluru for BJP Power Meet; Focus is on Land Reforms

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Bengaluru for a two-day conclave of the BJP's top leaders that will  finalize strategy for the centrepiece of the government's economic reform - how to make land purchases easier for industry and to develop roads, ports and power stations, among other infrastructure projects.

Mr Modi will address the gathering on Saturday; tomorrow, he will hold a public rally.

The government's land reforms - introduced by an ordinance or executive order - have been denounced as "anti-farmer" by a united opposition. The BJP conclave will review a power-point presentation that explains why those allegations are baseless; pamphlets will be distributed for a mega PR drive that will claim the government's proposal protects farmers' rights while unblocking projects worth billions of dollars.

The land ordinance introduced in December expires on Sunday; the government plans to bring a new decree with some amendments added when the land bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last month.   

The government did not succeed in bringing the proposal to the Upper House or Rajya Sabha, where it is in a minority. The ordinance needs the President's assent.

The PM will, along with BJP chief Amit Shah, spend time with nearly 100 members of the party's national executive, chief ministers of BJP-governed states, and other important leaders like veteran LK Advani. A large part of the deliberations are expected to focus on how to improve the BJP's strength in states where it has so far been a fringe player - like Assam, Bengal and Tamil Nadu. An expansive recruitment drive that enlists members over the phones has given the BJP a bump of about 5-7% in these states. The party wants to quickly consolidate and build upon its growth.

The party will also review its poor performance in the recent Delhi election, where it placed a distant second to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party or AAP, despite the PM campaigning for the BJP.