BJP minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti to speak at riot-hit Trilokpuri today

NEW DELHI: It seems that no amount of controversy is going to let Delhi BJP shy away from trying to woo poorvanchali voters in east Delhi. The party has decided to send Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, who gave a vitriolic speech in Khayala in west Delhi leading to an uproar in Parliamant, to address two nukkad sabhas in Trilokpuri assembly constituency on Monday even though the area witnessed riots just a month ago.
The game plan of BJP seems to have changed due to the poor response to its jan sabhas during the first week. Now, 350 sabhas have been planned, including 90 meetings on Monday, in the next week.

Jyoti will not just address a sabha in Trilokpuri, but also in New Ashok Nagar, which has a high percentage of poorvanchali voters. The MP, who has earned the distinction of breaking into the dalit vote bank and getting huge support for BJP, has been given these areas because one of them is a reserved seat. "We have selected MPs to address jan sabhas based on the area they represent," said a BJP member.

Another Union minister, Kalraj Mishra, who is also known for his controversial statements, will address a meeting at Ballimaran. BJP MP from Unnao Swami Sakshi Maharaj who courted controversy for calling madrassas as 'hubs of terror and jihadis' will address a sabha at Ambedkar Basti in RK Puram.

BJP members say the party's 90-plus meetings on subsequent days will be attended by several Union ministers and celebrity MPs like Kirron Kher and Paresh Rawal. On Monday, Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Najma Heptullah, Maneka Gandhi, Vijay Sampla and Thawar Chand Gehlot will address meetings in various parts of the city.

MPs CP Thakur, Vijay Goel, Ramesh Bidhuri, Meenakshi Lekhi, among others, will also address meetings.

Delhi BJP has directed all its local units to make efforts to ensure the success of these meetings. Though the party is not expecting a large gathering as these are corner meetings, party workers are working hard to ensure a the between 150-300 people attend the sabhas.