Obama Trip Boosts BJP Cadre, BJP has plans for a Madison Square Garden redux. Just as Narendra Modis New York event, which gave the Prime Minister something of a rock star profile, was used in the Maharashtra elections that followed his US trip, the BJP hopes to incorporate high points from President Barack Obamas three-day India sojourn in its campaign for the Delhi polls. In a sense, you can say Modijis Delhi campaign will kick off on January 25 (when Obama lands) and will go on till January 27 (when he leaves for Washington). We will look at the high points and see how we can turn these around when we canvass for votes, a BJP strategist said. Of course, its sheer coincidence that the US Presidents visit comes just before the Delhi polls. But since hes here, we will use it to our advantage. Among the potential political points the BJP is looking at are the agreements that could be clinched after the bilateral. Sources suggested the party could couple the renewal of the US-India Defence Partnership Agreement - expected to incorporate a range of new clauses and provisions aimed at attracting investments - with the Make in India project and the possibility it holds for creating jobs. Then, bridging differences over the nuclear liability law could be linked to one of Modis pet themes: enhancing Indias power needs through nuclear energy so that by the time his tenure ends in 2019, every village is electrified. Nuclear power is the one that Modiji regards as clean and green and fastest to generate and transmit, more than solar power, a source said. At the recent Vibrant Gujarat global summit, John Kerry, the US secretary of state who represented Washington, stressed Modis commitment to 24x7 electrification: The Prime Minister has a very ambitious plan that every home in India will have 24-hour electricity and we hope we can do a great deal to help with that. Kerry listed liability protection for companies that hope to build nuclear power plants as a top priority on Obamas agenda with Modi. In Delhi, while the BJPs closest rival, the Aam Aadmi Party, harps on the need to subsidise power and cut tariffs, the BJP is likely to emphasise on the importance of improving the quality and delivery of public utilities, including electricity, so that at the peak of summer and winter, just when power consumption shoots up, consumers are not inconvenienced, a source said. In the Maharashtra polls last October, the BJPs strategy rotated around the three Ms: Modi, Mars (the Mangalyan mission that was planned and fleshed out by the UPA but executed when the NDA was in power) and Madison Square. Modis Madison Square show was held principally for the diaspora and drew a record number of people of Gujarati origin. His speech, played over and over again, bowled over Maharashtras Gujaratis who primarily live in Mumbai and some other cities. Delhi is not just about the classes, its about the aspirational masses who think beyond a life in their jhuggi-jhopadis (slums).... In this globally integrated age, its naïve to imagine that leaders like Obama only captivate the imagination of the better off. Thats why we are also giving political importance to his trip, a BJP source said.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 04:20:00 +0000
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