Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday said the BJP's membership drive was an opportunity to strengthen the organisation and the country as he exhorted party workers to achieve the target of enrolling 50 lakh plus members in the state.
The saffron party on Monday launched its nationwide membership drive in New Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP membership drive for Chhattisgarh was kicked off at an event at Raipur's Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay auditorium with CM Sai becoming the first party member to renew his membership in the state.
He was enrolled by the party's state president, Kiran Deo. On the occasion, the CM released the online link for enrolment as a party member.
In his address, Sai said 'sadasyata abhiyan' (membership drive) was a precious opportunity to strengthen the BJP and the country, and party workers should devote time to achieve the target of enrolling 50 lakh plus members in the state.
The foundation of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJP's predecessor party) was laid with the principle that "Ek Desh Mein do Nishan, do Vidhan Aur do Pradhan Nahi Chalenge" (There cannot be two flags, two Constitutions and two Prime Ministers in one nation), he recalled.
Following these ideals of the Jan Sangh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was founded in 1980 with the spirit of "Nation First". With same dedication, the BJP has become the world's largest party which is committed to protecting the nation's interests, Sai maintained.
The achievements under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi have given India a new identity. By fulfilling Modi's guarantees, his government has won the trust of people, he added.
On the occasion, former Governor Ramesh Bais, senior BJP leader Brijmohan Agrawal and thousands of workers enrolled themselves as members of the saffron outfit, a party functionary said.
Veteran tribal leader Nand Kumar Sai, who joined the ruling Congress in May last year after quitting the BJP, enrolled himself as a saffron party member.
He shared the picture of his enrolment on his social media handle and wrote, "It is a matter of pride to be a member of the country's largest party, Bharatiya Janata Party".
Nand Sai, a former three-time Lok Sabha MP and three-term MLA, last year quit the BJP claiming party leaders were trying to tarnish his image by hatching conspiracies and levelling false allegations against him.
The 78-year-old politician had the distinction of serving as the BJP's state president of both Chhattisgarh (which was formed in November 2000) and undivided Madhya Pradesh.