Amit Shah to address BJP foundation day celebrations in Mumbai, party books 28 trains to bring in cadres

On Friday, the Bharatiya Janata Party will celebrate its 38th foundation day at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) ground. Party president Amit Shah will address around 3 lakh party workers at the event. The event will be a show a strength for the party, as it heads for various Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Thus, the BJP appears to be leaving no stone unturned to make the event a success. The party has booked 28 trains from across the state, as also 50,000 private buses and vehicles for this purpose. The trains will reach five major railway stations of Mumbai — CSMT, Kurla terminus, Bandra terminus, Dadar and Mumbai Central. The buses are expected to enter Mumbai through the western and eastern express highways. All major roads going towards Bandra and BKC are expected to be blocked starting from 10 am. [caption id=“attachment_4419917” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  BJP chief Amit Shah arrives at Mumbai airport. Image procured by Sanjay Sawant/Firstpost[/caption] Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a speech recently, referred to the foundation day event as a ‘virat melava’ (mega convention). Fadnavis further said that all booth workers from across the state will be expected to attend the celebration. Office-bearers from various cells of the BJP, like those for minorities, SC/STs, OBCs, women and farmers will also be present. Fadnavis and senior Union minister from the state Nitin Gadkari are among the prominent leaders who will mark their presence at the BKC grounds. A senior leader who did not wish to be named said,“The BJP has an emotional and traditional connect with Mumbai, as its journey began here under Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership. After its foundation day in 1980, the BJP held its first national convention at Bandra, where Vajpayee was named the first president of the party.” BJP state president Raosaheb Danve said, “Although Vajpayee became party president in 1980, it took several years before he could become prime minister. He was elected as prime minister three times in all.” He added that after the BJP’s BKC rally in 2014, the NDA came to power and Narendra Modi became the prime minister. Speaking about the preparations for the event on 6 April, Danve said that 28 trains from across various districts in Maharashtra would reach Mumbai on Friday morning. Apart from trains, 50,000 buses, jeeps and other private vehicles will bring party cadres to the venue of the rally at BKC, he added. More than three lakh BJP supporters are expected be in attendance in all. Apart from Amit Shah, Union ministers from Maharashtra and other BJP leaders are slated to address the rally, which is scheduled to begin at 11.30 am on Friday. Apart from party members, no one else has been invited for the rally. Ashish Shelar, the chief of the BJP’s Mumbai unit, said that a bike rally was organised to welcome Shah, who arrived in the city on Thursday evening. Shelar added that the BJP president will hold a meeting with party MLAs, MLCs and MPs in the evening on Friday after the foundation day rally ends. Commenting on the BJP’s plans to mark its foundation day, senior journalist Uday Tanpathak said, “The event will help to encourage the party cadres to work hard to ensure that the party retains power at the Centre as well as in the Maharashtra government.”