Villagers in Maharashtra object Modi govt's ‘Vikasit Bharat Sankalp programme, call it BJP promotion

In a major jolt to the ruling BJP govt, residents of Sonyachi Shiroli village in Radhanagari tehsil of Kolhapur objected to the use of the words 'Modi Sarkar' instead of Government of India or Bharat Sarkar and use of colours on the Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra programme. According to a TOI report, in the yatra a van with LED displays is being taken to different villages, the central government’s flagship schemes are shown on the LED display, the beneficiaries from the village are called to take a selfie imn front of the van. At Sonyachi Shiroli village, a youth named Rajvaibhav Shobha Ramchandra arrived when the coordinator, Ajit Wagre, was telling the villagers about the flagship schemes of the central government. 

Villagers across Maharashtra object to Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, Say It’s Like ‘BJP Promotion’

Villagers objected to the use of the words ‘Modi Sarkar’ instead of Government of India or Bharat Sarkar and use of colours on the outreach material resembling the Bharatiya Janata… pic.twitter.com/Kq420Sl7jr

— Pritesh Shah (@priteshshah_) December 22, 2023

With his mobile camera on, he started asking questions. He asked why the promotional material displayed and distributed had ‘ Modi Sarkar’. After some time local BJP workers arrived at the spot and demanded legal action against the youth for obstructing officials from doing their work. I wanted to ask them why they are promoting the yatra as a BJP event? I asked simple questions. As a citizen, I am entitled to get the answers to the questions said Rajvaibhav. Shobha Ramchandra’s video of him interacting with the coordinator has since gone viral on social media. After the villagers started questioning the coordinators, the yatra was wrapped up before scheduled time. 

 What is Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra aims to raise awareness relating to the implementation of several central schemes such as the Ujjwala Yojana, PM SVANidhi, PM Suraksha Bima, Ayushman Bharat, and more, as a government initiative.

As per the website of the scheme, the four aims of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yojana, are:

To reach out to the vulnerable population eligible under multiple schemes but have not yet opted for their benefits till now,

To spread information about the schemes and generate awareness

To interact with the government schemes beneficiaries via personal experience sharing

To enroll potential beneficiaries via information ascertained in the journey

A variety of Union ministries are involved in the program. Prime Minister Narendra Modi kickstarted the Yatra on December 16 in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Mizoram, and Madhya Pradesh. On November 15, the yatra was launched from Jharkhand.