Bareilly: To enlarge its base by recruiting 51 lakh new members in a countrywide push “to fight three core issues of gau raksha, Ram Mandir and love jihad”, Bajrang Dal began a massive induction drive on Sunday, with three lakh new members joining on the first day itself across five states.The organization’s national convenor Manoj Verma, who was in Bongaigaon district of Assam on Sunday, told TOI over the phone, “In Assam 32,000 people joined us as active members. The highest number of 1.77 lakh recruitments in a single day was made in Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, 20,000 and in communally sensitive west UP, 16,000 new members have been added.”Verma said the recruitment drive is launched every three years. However, this time, the drive was taking place after a gap of seven years.Asked if Bajrang Dal will recruit members from all seven northeastern states or only from Assam where BJP has formed a government for the first time, Verma said, “We have set a target for the entire Northeast except Mizoram. However, we will launch an induction drive in that state also. Today (Monday), I am in Hojai where 1,500 new members had joined us till 2 pm.”In the southern states, more than 17,000 people joined Bajrang Dal on the first day of the membership drive, Verma claimed. “Except Tamil Nadu, where only 1,200 members turned up on the first day, we got a good response in Telangana with 11,000 people signing up, in Kerala 3,000 and more than 2,000 in Andhra Pradesh. The report from Karnataka is yet to come,” he added.Meanwhile, Bajrang Dal convenor of Meerut ‘prant’ (region), which covers 16 districts, Balraj Dungar told TOI, “As many as 5,000 new members have joined us in Bulandshahr and 20,000 in Moradabad. We are focusing on rural areas to increase our reach to every village panchayat. Our drive will continue till Shaurya Divas (December 6).”

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