BJP plans 'tricolour in every home', prabhat pheris, Covid booster jab push around I-Day

From ensuring national flag hoisting at every residence including those of government employees, advocates, as well as police posts, to having prabhat pheris (morning processions) singing “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" and “Vande Mataram" in every civic ward of the country for three days ahead of Independence Day— the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given its leaders a to-do list to ensure that patriotism is the flavour of the week around August 15.

What's on the cards

BJP chief JP Nadda has given out the list of tasks to be carried out by party leaders and workers in order to celebrate the Centre’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav programme. This includes undertaking a “Har Ghar Tiranga" drive from 9 August to 15 August, and party MPs, MLAs, and public representatives ensuring precautionary Covid vaccine doses are given free in the next 75 days.

The BJP chief has asked party leaders to ensure from August 9 to August 11 publicity of the programme, creating an atmosphere of patriotism, taking out Tiranga Yatras, and display of hoardings in public places like markets, streets, and fairgrounds take place. “From 11 to 13  August , prabhat pheris should be in every ward and village with the recitation of the bhajan Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram and Vande Mataram,” said a source.

“The Prime Minister after revisiting and flagging off the Dandi March on 12 March, 2021, and after paying tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, stated that ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ means amrit (nectar) of energy, of freedom, of inspiration from freedom fighters, of new thoughts, of new resolutions, and nectar of self-reliance,” said a leader while reading the communication sent out to all state unit chiefs as well.

“More than 20 crore families across the country to hoist the national flag from 13th August to 15th August 2022,” stated the communication. In Uttar Pradesh alone, the target is to hoist flags over 3.18 crore households.

The directions sent out by Nadda also stated that the national flag should be hoisted not only in all government buildings but also at the residences of government employees, advocates, police posts, and educational institutes.

“All offices of resident welfare associations (RWAs), youth organisations, monasteries of saints and social institutions should be contacted to hoist the national flag. There should be a national flag at every household, is what we have been told,” stated the source.

Nadda has also directed that the national flag be made available at all post offices by the union ministry of culture along with on four types of e-commerce websites and also at other sales centres.

In addition to this, statues and monuments of great patriots across the country too will be cleaned from 11 to 15 August.

“On August 10, 11 and 12, the Yuva Morcha will organise a Tiranga Yatra in each district. The photos of hoisting the national flag are to be uploaded on the website of the government created especially for this programme,” stated the source.

The party has made Vinod Tawde, national general secretary, the convenor of this programme.

The second programme that the party is going to undertake is ensuring booster or precautionary Covid vaccine doses for the maximum possible number of people.

“For the precautionary dose, efforts should be made by the party at all levels so that more and more people get vaccinated. All the MPs, MLAs, public representatives and party office bearers will regularly visit the vaccination centres, and create public awareness through hoardings, press conferences, and social media,” Nadda told the party leaders, according to sources. Tarun Chugh, national general secretary, has been made the convenor of this programme.

Culture Ministry playing its part

On 20 May, 2022, the cabinet secretary chaired a meeting of the committee of secretaries with all chief secretaries on the “Har Ghar Tiranga” drive and outlined several tasks to be implemented by them. This includes active participation of all employees, state PSUs and self-help groups and their family members. Corporate and private organisations too should be encouraged, it has been said.

The directions are to use the websites of all state governments to provide a link to the Amrit Mahotsav Har Ghar Tiranga corner. The aim is also to reach out to panchayats and distribute the national flag in every village. “Vast network of fair price shops to be leveraged as distribution/sales point for the flags and state transport buses to be painted with messages about the program. Toll and checkpoints to be branded and utilised for pamphlets,” reads the order from the ministry of culture.

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