With 'national pride' mantra, BJP's 1.1 mn workers are out to lure voters

The workers have been educated on how to reach out to the deprived section of the society, manage journalists and devise social media strategies, says P Muralidhar Rao

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has trained over 1.1 million workers on ways to influence citizens in the world’s biggest democracy to vote for the right-wing group.

The trained pro bono cadres have fanned out across the world’s seventh-largest landmass to contact voters and educate them about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programs and policies, P Muralidhar Rao, a general secretary of the party, said in an interview. They have been discussing issues ranging from the economy to “national pride and identity politics.”

“No other party has this kind of strength,’’ said Rao, who’s also in charge of training the workforce. “Our cadres