Here’s how the ruling party may be planning to make an powerful outreach to women across the country.
1. Sources told Reuters this week that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is considering doubling the annual payout to land-owning women farmers to ₹12,000 ($144). They said the plan is likely to be announced in the budget on February 1 and could cost the government an additional ₹120 billion.
2. Making a poll pitch in Kerala on January 3, PM Modi announced a few guarantees this his government would provide to the women of the state once elected to power for the third consecutive term. His guarantees included:
> Loans to 15,000 women self-help groups
> Promise to make 2 crore women ‘lakhpati didi’
> Financial aid and training to women under PM Vishwakarma Yojna
> Help to women who put up their businesses on footpath under PM Svanidhi Yojana
> Free health check up and treatment to ₹5 lakh
> Cheap gas cylinders
> A house under PM Awas Yojna
3. The BJP is mapping out a strategy to make women’s self-help groups aware of the schemes and programmes being run by the government. The BJP recently held the Shakti Vandan national workshop at the party extension office to formulate a strategy to reach out to NGOs and self-help groups.
A source from the BJP told ANI that to reach out to self-help groups and NGOs, 25 groups were formed which had 50 per cent women and 50 per cent men in each group. They also strategised on how women’s self-help groups and NGO outreach programs will be conducted.
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4. The party aims to make direct contact with more than 10 crore women through this campaign. The BJP has a target to increase their proportion of women voters by 10 per cent. To achieve this objective, the BJP has instructed these groups to contact the respective BDOs (Block Development Officer) of their area to reach out to the Self Help Groups and NGOs, ANI reported.
5. A BJP functionary said told PTI on January 9, “Workers should be as active as possible and reach out to the public as much as possible. Visiting villages, holding conferences, contacting the beneficiaries, holding community meetings, etc were discussed (in the meeting on January 6).”
6. The BJP reportedly planned two ‘sammelans’ in the next few months to capitalise on women voters. According to News 18, one will focus on the north and central region and will be held in Madhya Pradesh. The second ‘sammelan’ will take place in Andhra Pradesh’s capital Vijayawada.
The BJP plans to invite participation from women ranging from panchayat level to Parliament. “We will talk about the women-centric achievements of the government and the vision PM Modi has for women in the years to come. We are expecting a gathering of at least 25,000 each,” the source were quoted as saying. The dates for these two programmes have not been decided yet.
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7. The BJP may also focus on women’s safety and security of women through special drives. According to the News 18 report, “more platforms will be utilised… to talk about the experiences they (women) had and how that can inspire more women to travel without worrying about safety.” The “drive” will also raise awareness about the impact of the three criminal bills.
8. The BJP’s minority front will launch a “Shukriya Modi Bhaijaan” campaign in January in all Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh to draw Muslim women towards the party ahead of the 2024 general elections. With the tagline “Na duri hai, na khai hai, Modi hamara bhai hai, (there’s no detachment, there’s no chasm, Modi is our brother)”, the campaign aims to attract at least 1,000 Muslim women towards the party, news agency PTI reported. The campaign was scheduled to begin on January 2 and continue till January 20.
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9. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said on December 21 “mothers of all households” will be provided one free LPG cylinders every quarter starting 2024. He also announced a 100 per cent hike in the financial assistance to women to ₹40,000 a year under ‘Aama Scheme’, which is for non-working mothers. Tamang’s e Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) had joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in 2019.
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10. In the recently-concluded assembly elections as well, the BJP made attemps to woo women voters. Even the elevation of Droupadi Murmu to the post of the president in 2022 was seen a a bid to attract both tribal people and women.
The Lok Sabha elections will be held this year and that is likely to be between the Modi government’s NDA alliance and the INDIA bloc.
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Published: 11 Jan 2024, 06:24 AM IST