Smriti Irani to address BJP rally at Suri; nothing finalised

Union minister Smriti Irani will address a BJP rally at Suri in Birbhum district Wednesday, but nothing has been finalised about the other party meeting in Jhargram district to be held on the same day, BJP leaders said Tuesday.

BJP president Amit Shah was scheduled to attend the rally at Jhargram but he returned to New Delhi on Tuesday evening because of his ill health and is unlikely to address the rally at Jhargram, they said.

"Smriti Irani will address the rally at Suri tomorrow. Nothing has been decided as of now on which central leader will address the rally at Jhargram. Somebody will come," said Dilip Ghosh, state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

State BJP sources said the party has decided to bring in several top leaders in West Bengal to address rallies at various parts of West Bengal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Shah attended a public meeting at Malda during the day, in which he said all Bengali refugees would be granted citizenship with the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

With this rally, the BJP kickstarted its 'Ganatanatra Bachao Yatra' in West Bengal, vowing to overthrow the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in the state.

The proposed rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Brigade Parade Ground here next month has been cancelled, the BJP said, adding that the prime minister would initially attend three rallies in the state starting next week.

Leaders from 22 opposition parties from across the country came together at a mega rally at the Brigade Parade Ground here on Saturday and declared that they will put up a united fight to oust the Narendra Modi government. It was organised by the Trinamool Congress.