Ranchi/Godda: BJP national president Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to Godda on Saturday was put on hold after the party suspended all its programmes for Friday and Saturday in solidarity with the CRPF jawans killed in Thursday’s Pulwama terror attack.Shah was expected to be in Godda on Saturday afternoon and address a gathering of party workers from Godda, Dumka and Rajmahal parliamentary constituencies to boost their morale ahead of the parliamentary election in summer. More than 5,000 party functionaries were supposed to attend the meeting at ITI Maidan on Bhagalpur Road.“The attack has shocked the nation. BJP has decided to shelve all its plans nationwide as a mark of respect for the martyrs. An alternative date for Shah’s visit would be announced shortly,” said Jharkhand party spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo in Pakur on Friday.This is the second time, Shah’s visit to Godda was cancelled in the last two months. His meeting was to have been held earlier on January 19 but had to be called off because Shah was down with swine flue and was hospitalised.BJP has been holding meetings of its functionaries in Jharkhand through events like cluster meetings and ‘Prabuddha Sammelans’ to rejuvenate the rank and file. The first meeting was held in Chatra on February 3.Samresh Singh, a member of the party’s youth wing from Dumka, was very disappointed with the developments. “What happened in Pulwama made me very angry. I am upset now with the news that Shah’s visit has been cancelled. This is the second time this has happened. It seems the Godda visit is jinxed,” he said.The Godda parliamentary seat has become the focal point of Jharkhand politics as the Congress and JVM-P are at loggerheads over getting the seat. On the other hand, BJP, which is looking to improve its tally to 14 from 12 in 2014, is eyeing the Dumka and Rajmahal seats.

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