UP Polls: BJP Starts 'Prabbudha Sammelan' In 18 Cities

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday addressed a meeting of the 'Prabuddha Sammelan' in Varanasi. The 'prabuddh sammelan'  or meeting of intellectuals has been started by the the BJP in 18 cities ahead of the upcoming polls in the state next year.

Apart from Varanasi, another such meeting was held in Kanpur presided by Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Meanwhile, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh addressed another such gathering in Ayodhya.

During his meeting in Ayodhya, Singh alleged that former prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1966 had ordered firing on saints who had gathered around Parliament, while the Samajwadi Party in 1990 had ordered firing on the devotees of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.

"These bullets were fired on India's culture and ideology of nationalism. The entire India reposes its faith in Lord Ram. Lord Ram resides in each and every bit of this place. After Independence, the Congress government had refused the existence of Lord Ram. The then Congress government did not accept Ram Setu. The terms like Hindu terror were coined," Singh claimed.

State general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal addressed a meeting in state capital Lucknow.

Meanwhile, national general secretary of the BJP's Mahila Morcha Indu Bala Goswami highlighted the importance of women in strengthening the organisation.

"We have to take the organisation's message to the masses, and bring back the party to power in the state," she said here.

Goswami held detailed discussions with Morcha members on work done by the Centre and the state government for women.

(With inputs from PTI)