Bhubaneswar, Aug. 20: BJP national president Amit Shah will visit Odisha again in September, two months after his last visit, and discuss with the party workers on how to strengthen the party's base in the state.
The party's state unit vice-president Samir Mohanty said: "Shah will come on a three-day visit to the state beginning from September 6. There will be no public meeting. Our party president will meet the party workers starting from the grassroots to the state level."
The visit assumes significance as it comes just one day ahead of the winter session of the Assembly. The session will begin on September 7.
"Shah will also discuss with the party's legislative wing and stress on the need for co-operation between the legislative wing and the party's organisational wing. He will also guide the MLAs on the issues that would be taken up during the Assembly session. He will sharpen the BJP's attack on the government," said a senior leader.
Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan also gave a hint how Shah was planning to give a boost to the BJP's growth in Odisha. "Chanakya (Amit Shah), himself, is planning the party's roadmap to throw out the corrupt and apathetic state government."
Pradhan hinted that there would be no alliance with the BJD. The BJP has set a target to win 120 Assembly seats out of 147. "Shah has already declared that the party aims to win 120 seats, and we will make it a reality. Our workers are upbeat and the party's Mo Booth Sabuthu Mazboot (my booth is the strongest) has already been a grand success," said the party's state general secretary Dillip Mohanty.
Shah had come on a visit to the state on July first week and launched the party's Mo Booth Sabuthu Majboot programme from chief minister Naveen Patnaik's home turf Ganjam, giving a clear signal to the BJD that it was serious about dislodging the Naveen Patnaik government.
However, BJD vice-president and minister Surjya Narayan Patro said: "Whatever effort they put to make inroads into the state, they will not be successful. No one can match Naveen's popularity. Their coming to power will remain a day dream."
