BJP to launch month-long membership drive in Andhra Pradesh from tomorrow

HYDERABAD: BJP would launch a month-long membership drive in Andhra Pradesh from tomorrow and focus on strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level in the Congress-ruled state.

The membership drive and setting up of village and mandal-level committees will be completed before the election of the BJP's national President in December, Andhra Pradesh BJP President G Kishan Reddy told reporters here today.

The party would concentrate on strengthening organisation by constituting village and mandal-level committees in the State before November, he said.

Referring to `Indiramma Baata' (a mass contact programme) launched by Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, the state BJP chief said "it serves no purpose" at a time when Andhra Pradesh is facing a plethora of problems.

Instead of undertaking the programme, he should visit Indira Park (also known as `dharna chowk') where various associations of the people and employees have been agitating for their causes, the BJP leader said.

Ridiculing `Indiramma Baata', Kishan Reddy said the Chief Minister should tell the people why was he visiting the villages. "Is he going to villages to tell people that I have increased prices of petrol and essential commodities and caused scarcity of seeds and fertilisers."

The programme would not serve any meaningful purpose and instead put a burden on the exchequer, he said.