Hyderabad: The BJP has painted Hyderabad saffron as the city is all set to host the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting beginning Saturday.
The saffron party has put up flags, banners, hoardings, flexis and huge cut-outs of its leaders across the city. Major traffic intersections have been decked up by the party supporters on the eve of the two-day meeting.
Huge cut-outs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with BJP President J.P. Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Telangana BJP President Bandi Sanjay and Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy have been put up at several places in the city.
Hoardings to welcome the national leaders of the party and other delegates were erected on roads leading to the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), the venue of the national executive.
Several cutouts and flexis have come up around Parade Ground, where Prime Minister Modi and other national leaders of the BJP will be addressing a public meeting on Sunday at the end of the two-day national executive.
As many as 350 delegates, including several Union ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states, will be attending the national executive.
The national executive will review the implementation of the decisions taken at the previous executive meeting and chalk out future course of action to strengthen the party.
Live updates:
08:57 PM: Union Minister for Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters that the Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana welfare scheme has been passed in the BJP’s executive meeting held here on Saturday. “Concern for the poor has been our priority,” he said.
08:02 PM: On Chief Minister KCR not receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport here, the BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay, speaking to reporters compared KCR to a fox. “When the tiger comes, foxes run away. Now when the tiger has come, he (KCR) is running away, we don’t know why is he doing this? In the coming days, saffron and lotus flags will be hoisted here,” he said.
06:28 PM: KCR didn’t reciprocate the ‘Maryada’ of the Prime Minister. By disregarding the ‘protocol’ of not receiving the Prime Minister, KCR didn’t disrespect an individual, but an institution. By disregarding the constitution, KCR has become the ‘Tanashah’ of Telangana: Smriti Irani.
06:28 PM: “BJP workers of Bengal & Kerala were assaulted and slaughtered, while party workers in J&K confronted those who wanted to break India. BJP national president paid homage to them along with speaking about the constructive politics of the BJP,”: Smriti Irani.
06:12 PM: BJP national president JP Nadda addressed the party’s national executive meet where he mentioned the pro-poor welfare policies of the Modi govt. In the last 8 years our govt worked for the empowerment of women & assisted youth in servicing the nation: Union min Smriti Irani in Hyderabad
05:52 PM: Union Minister Smriti Irani addresses a press conference in Hyderabad.
05:09 PM: “With Party colleagues at the National Executive meeting in Hyderabad. @BJP4India ,” PM Narendra Modi tweeted.
04:49 PM: The protocol is for the CM of that state to welcome the PM or President when they arrive at the airport. Breaking this tradition is wrong; we should respect the Prime Minister since he represents the entire country, not just the BJP. Telangana CM KCR is afraid to speak with the PM, BJP MLC Ramachander Rao
04:29 PM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah reach HICC in Hitec City, the venue of BJP’s National Executive Meeting. The meeting commences.
04:24 PM: “Cooperative federalism in letter and spirit is the cornerstone of our democracy. Breaching protocol on purpose yet again, Telangana CM has insulted the institution of both that of a CM and PM. KCR can hide but his corrupt politics will not remain hidden. #BJPNECInTelangana ,” union minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted.
03:40 PM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Hyderabad and was welcomed by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Telangana Animal Husbandry minister T Srinivas Yadav and BJP party workers at the airport.
“Landed in the dynamic city of Hyderabad to take part in the @BJP4India National Executive Meeting. During this meeting we will discuss a wide range of issues aimed at further strengthening the Party,” he tweeted.
03:00 PM: Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrives in Hyderabad for the BJP NEC meeting and was welcomed by union Tourism minister G Kishan Reddy.
02:52 PM: UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath arrives in Hyderabad for the BJP NEC meeting and was welcomed by Nizamabad MP D Arvind.
02:26 PM: BJP National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia in Hyderabad for the BJP NEC.
02:23 PM: BJP”s Hyderabad meeting is to discuss ‘har ghar tiranga’ (Tricolour at every house) programme which plans to reach 20 crore people: Rajasthan former chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia.
02:12 PM: BJP National chief JP Nadda tweets in Telugu, thanks party workers and people of Hyderabad for showering ‘love’ and ‘affection’ towards the party.
02:09 PM: No PM before Modi damaged India’s reputation to this extent: Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in the meeting held to support the candidacy of Yashwanth Sinha in the upcoming Presidential election to be held in July.
01:57 PM: BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam arrives in Hyderabad for the BJP NEC meeting.
01:44 PM: Union Food and Public distribution Piyush Goyal arrives at the Hyderabad airport to attend the BJP NEC meeting.
01:22 PM: BJP Spokesperson Shazia Ilmi arrives at the airport for attending the BJP NEC meeting.
01:09 PM: Uttar Pradesh Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya visits the Bhagyalakshmi temple at Charminar.
01:01 PM: Bihar minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain arrives in Hyderabad for the BJP NEC meeting at HICC.
12:56 PM: Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari arrives at the airport.
12:53 PM: Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture Meenakshi Lekhi arrives at the airport for attending the BJP NEC meeting to be held at HICC today and tomorrow.
12:29 PM: Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development Smriti Irani arrives in Hyderabad to attend the BJP NEC meeting to be held at HICC today and tomorrow.
11:57 AM: Former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi was welcomed at RGIA by party workers.
11:37 AM: Rajnath Singh leaves for Hyderabad to participate in the two-day national executive meeting.
11:08 AM: “We do not do corruption & parivaar raj. We have a democracy, even a normal worker becomes CM, PM & president. We don’t need to learn from such a corrupt party,” Union Minister, G Kishan Reddy said in response to TRS working president KT Rama Rao’s ‘Come learn from us’ comment.
10:33 AM: BJP national president JP Nadda inaugurates the party’s national officer bearers’ meeting in Hyderabad.
Roadmap for Assembly elections likely to be focused
The meeting is likely to focus on the roadmap for Assembly elections scheduled in some states later this year and next year and also for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The national executive is likely to pass resolutions on various issues, including a political resolution on the achievements of the Modi government during the last eight years. Another resolution is likely to be on Telangana, the state the party is currently focusing on.
The draft resolutions are likely to be prepared at the party meeting Nadda would be holding with the BJP general secretaries on Friday night.
BJP general secretary Tarun Chug told reporters that Prime Minister Modi will attend all the deliberations at the national executive along with 340 delegates.
He said lakhs of people from across Telangana will attend the public meeting titled ‘Vijay Sankalp’ on Sunday. Also, party incharges from 35,000 polling booths will take oath to bring BJP to power in the state.
BJP’s national executive meeting is being held in Hyderabad after a gap of 18 years. The last time the saffron party had held the meeting here was in 2004, which was attended by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani and then party President M. Venkaiah Naidu, among others.
Security arrangements
Meanwhile, an elaborate security blanket has been thrown around the HICC in view of the presence of a number of top leaders, including the PM.
Cyberabad police have imposed prohibitory orders and banned flying of drones within the 5 km radius around the HICC.
The Hyderabad police is also making massive arrangements for the public meeting, to be held at Parade Ground in the city, which is likely to witness the attendance of lakhs of people.
Hyderabad police commissioner C V Anand, who took stock of the arrangements for the public meeting at the ground, said about 3,000 police personnel from Hyderabad city and other districts, besides TSSP (Telangana state special police) would be on duty.
The elite police personnel of Telangana, the Greyhounds and Octopus, would also be deployed, he said.
With inputs from agencies
Follow on Twitter | Posted by P N Sree Harsha | 
