Kids to hoist tricolour as BJP aims to counter PDA pathshala

Time of India

3 days ago

Lucknow: In a strategic counter to Samajwadi Party's 'PDA pathshala', the BJP has asked its functionaries to get tricolour hoisted by children during the upcoming 'Tiranga Yatra' scheduled to be carried out by the party from Aug 10-15 as part of
Independence Day celebrations
.
In a communique sent to all regional presidents, district in charges and district presidents, state BJP vice-president Manvendra Singh said that the party functionaries should try to get a tricolour hoisted in maximum possible households across the state. "Wherever possible, get it done by children," Singh said.
BJP sources said that the party has tasked its functionaries to hoist at least 500 tricolours in each of the 1.6 lakh polling booths.
The campaign will essentially be carried out with the help of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and Mahila Morcha of the BJP.
UP BJYM state general secretary Varun Goyal affirmed that the campaign will be carried out even more aggressively in areas where the SP has attempted to set up 'PDA pathshalas' to "influence" the tender minds of children. "We will counter the opposition's casteist approach with a nationalist narrative," he said, asserting that the yuva morcha would reach out to the students in schools and colleges across the state.
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The development comes days after a SP functionary Farhad Alam initiated a PDA pathshala in Saharanpur where children were taught lessons like 'A' for Akhilesh Yadav, 'B' for Babasaheb Ambedkar, 'C' for Chaudhary Charan Singh, 'D' for Dimple Yadav and 'M' for Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The development stung the BJP with the party state president Bhupendra Chaudhary terming it a conspiracy to mix political poison in the tender consciousness of children.
He termed it as an attempt of "Samajwadi brainwash".
Analysts said that BJP's choice of children for hoisting the national flag was more of a symbolic retort to SP's PDA pathshala which sought to indoctrinate the children with the names of prominent party leaders besides Dalit and OBC figures. A political expert said that the BJP intended to depict the party as promoting "national pride" over caste identity.
BJP's goal of unfurling 500 tricolours at each of the 1.6 lakh polling booths also reflected its trademark booth-level micro-management strategy.
The move, analysts said, was less about symbolism and more about mass contact and visibility, which can bolster supporters' loyalty.
Singh's letter also makes an open reference to the success of 'Operation Sindoor' which was carried out in May post the Apr 22 attack in Pahalgam in which 26 people, primarily tourists, were killed by terrorists.
"This is a new, prosperous and powerful self-reliant India under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. Every proud Indian celebrated the success of Operation Sindoor with a tricolour in hand," he said. Singh also referred to Modi's description of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament as one dedicated to the victory of Indian military which destroyed the terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) besides targeting Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen facilities.
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