PM Narendra Modi’s official app introduces concept of ‘micro donations’ to promote perception of BJP being a party for all sections.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official app Tuesday introduced the concept of ‘micro donations’ as part of efforts to widen the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s outreach, allow direct connect and promote the perception of it being a party for all sections.
The ‘NaMo’ app will now allow donations starting from Rs 5, with amounts of Rs 50, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 as being the other options.
Also read: BJP hopes free smartphones with NaMo app will win Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh again
This was made available on android Monday night, and was expanded to include iOS Tuesday, with all payment platforms as options. The app has also launched a single platform to serve as a focal point for all its volunteers.
The prime minister has a reputation of prioritising social media in his poll preparedness, as he does to ground strategy, and the run-up to 2019 appears to be no different. The latest move, sources in the party involved in the exercise say, is to enable people to donate small amounts, with an easy to use interface.
“We felt a lot of people wanted to contribute to the party in some manner and hence, we decided to introduce the concept of micro-donations,” a party source said on condition of anonymity. “This is a user-friendly method. It also helps us tap into our committed app user base.”
The BJP website also allows donations but with no pre-determined amounts. As per rules introduced last year, political parties will have to disclose the identity of the donor for any donations above Rs 2,000, down from the earlier threshold of Rs 20,000.
To promote a pro-poor image
While allowing such small donations helps the BJP connect to a wider segment of people, it particularly helps it polish its pro-poor image. The party in the last few years has consistently put forth a welfare, poor-friendly narrative, in an attempt to rid itself of the ‘Suit Boot Ki Sarkar‘ tag, one coined by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Also read: PM Modi asks people to rate their MPs, MLAs on NaMo App
Micro-contributions further help the BJP tap into a fresh electorate it has been reaching out to — the backward classes. The Modi government, to shed its upper caste image, has been trying to court backward castes, including Dalits, through a series of initiatives.
The volunteer platform, meanwhile, provides a central meeting point for all its volunteer activity — both online and on-ground. Sources say the section will be used for “sharing news, views and feedback” as well as coordinating, organising and participating in ground events.
Party literature will also be available to volunteers to download so that they are aware of what they are expected to convey about the party. In a segment called ‘New India Pulse’, a survey module with a series of questions will be put up so karyakartas can fill them based on feedback from the ground.