BJP National Executive meet begins in Delhi

The two-day BJP National Executive meet began on Sunday, with party chief Amit Shah inaugurating a meeting of party office-bearers at the NDMC Convention Centre here.

The Indian economy's slowing growth as well as the next round of assembly polls will top the agenda of the meeting.

The main meeting will be held on Monday at the Talkatora Stadium. According to party leaders, 15 BJP Chief Ministers, six Deputy Chief Ministers, 1,400 MLAs, 85 members of legislative councils, 280 ministers and 336 MPs would attend.

Shah iaugurated the office-bearers' meeting to finalise the agenda and resolutions likely to be passed at the Monday meet.

Besides party's central office-bearers, all state Bharatiya Janata Party Presidents and General Secretaries (Organisation) attended Sunday's meeting.

The government is concerned over latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been talking of a package to revive economic growth after the November 8 demonetisation slowed it down.

Shah will deliver the inaugural address on Monday while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the concluding session.

Modi is likely to address the concerns over the state of the Indian economy and is all set to list the achievements of his government in the last three years.

Usually, the National Executive members alone attend the meeting but this time the BJP is holding an extended meeting, with invites going to all elected representatives of the party. Besides, state Presidents, state General Secretaries and several other party functionaries will also attend.

A political and an economic resolution is set to be passed by the National Executive. Sources in the BJP said party Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and General Secretary Ram Madhav have been assigned to prepare the resolutions.

The sources said the economic resolution is likely to mention demonetisation as a "bold decision to curb the menace of corruption" and the passage of Goods and Services Tax as another feather in the Modi cap.

During the meeting, Shah will take stock of organisational works taken up in Bhubaneswar in the last National Executive meet.

To mark the birth centenary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh idiologue Deendayal Upadhyaya, the BJP had asked all its state units to hold programmes. Shah will also take stock of the campaign.

Posters put up here also have pictures of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.

--IANS

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