State BJP president CP Thakur at a news conference in Patna on Saturday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Sept. 24: The state BJP has decided to organise feasts as part of its efforts to “boost the morale of down-trodden people and bring them into the mainstream of society”.

The BJP will host bhoj (feast) for Dalits in all districts of the state from September 25, the birth anniversary of late Pandit Dindayal Upadhyaya, to October 2, birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Sources said the feasts might be an attempt by the party to solicit the support of the Dalits. State BJP president C.P. Thakur, however, denied having any such intention. “The party does not have any intention of doing votebank politics and it (the feasts) is truly being done for the uplift of the downtrodden people. It is not possible to form a healthy society unless we take along those people who are neglected and deprived,” said Thakur.

“There would be no meaning of freedom and good governance without liberating those people who are standing last in the queue,” he added.

According to sources, the decision to host feast for Dalits was taken during the three-day state executive committee meeting of the BJP held in Vaishali district recently.

Asked about the reason behind hosting the feasts, Thakur said: “The main purpose of this feast is to give moral support to the weakest section in our society. Because of this reason, the NDA government in the state has included Mahadalits in the government’s agenda.”

The party has selected at least one place in each of the community block to organise the feasts. In Patna, the feast will be held at Nehru Nagar.