BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Thursday asked party workers in Bengal to focus on “corruption” by the Trinamul Congress and to make people aware of how it deprived deserving citizens of the benefits of central welfare schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Following a public meeting in Nadia’s Bethuadahari, Nadda in a closed-door meeting reportedly explained strategies of the Jan Sampark Aviyan undertaken by the saffron camp and categorically directed the party leadership to begin a door-to-door outreach programme regarding Trinamul’s alleged corruption.

He reportedly asked leadership to strengthen the organisation and infrastructure so as to be able to challenge Trinamul in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The strategy will reportedly be tailored for parliamentary constituencies like Krishnagar, where the minority vote plays a decisive role, party sources added.

“Go to villages.... Reach out to people and tell them what they deserve and how they are being deprived of their rights because of large-scale corruption by the Trinamul Congress. Tell people how government funds are being misused, and adopt all measures to apprise people, even using social media,” Nadda was quoted as saying in the meeting.

“We need to strengthen cadres and reach people, and strengthen communication making it clear that the Bengal government is putting hurdles before those deserving welfare,” the BJP’s Bengal minder Mangal Pandey said later.

Speaking at the rally, his first one after the party’s national executive extended his term as national president, Nadda alleged that Bengal had been going through a “jungle raj”.

“The public can teach all a lesson and you will not be an exception,” Nadda had said at the rally, adding: “Narendra Modi has been providing funds and they have been eating up the money. They even did not spare funds for the toilet project. We will nab everyone and put them in jail.”

Sources said the BJP had adopted a “meticulous plan” aiming to increase its seats in Bengal in next year’s Lok Sabha polls. The BJP has reportedly shortlisted 24 seats it lost in 2019 to focus on.

“While the party will try to polarise voters, it at the same time plans to apply a focus on corruption by Trinamul and the deprivation linked to central schemes in seats like Krishnagar, where minorities are a large part of the electorate,” said a source.

BJP’s Bengal minder Mangal Pandey refused to acknowledge any area-specific plan. While speaking to this newspaper, he said: “Our strategy is very clear. We need to reach people and tell them about welfare schemes offered by Narendra Modi government.”

“We will tell people that there are many schemes which the Bengal government did not allow to be implemented and there are many also which they were deprived of for corruption. We need to expose it and to create a support base for us,” he said.

The BJP will hold a state executive meeting on Saturday.

Earlier on Thursday, Nadda landed at a helipad on the Iskcon premises in Mayapur and took a tour of the under-construction vedic planetarium. He took a golf cart ride inside and offered puja at the Panchatattwa temple.