Ahead of Union Budget, leaders of RSS, affiliated groups meet ministers

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP chief Amit Shah.

Ahead of the Union Budget, leaders of the RSS and its affiliated groups met BJP leaders, including senior ministers, for a discussion on Friday, sources said. The meeting assumes significance as the economic issues, especially indicators that are on a downward curve, are expected to dominate the campaign in the run-up to the upcoming polls.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP chief Amit Shah. Leaders of Swadeshi Jagaran Manch and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh were also present. The Sangh leaders submitted their ideas to the Finance Minister ahead of the Budget, said sources. “Matters related to agriculture, workers and job generation were discussed in the meeting,” said a source.

Sources said BJP leaders have admitted that economic issues, especially government initiatives, could be a major issue in the Assembly elections in 2018 and in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.