NEW DELHI: It is now almost certain that Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh will hold office till 2010, even after the next Lok Sabha elections.

Mr. Singh on Thursday said a drive to increase membership from 2.2 crore to nearly 3 crore would be undertaken from April and by the year-end the BJP would complete organisational elections.

Although he did not elaborate, the message is clear that Mr. Singh will be elected president for a full three-year term by early next year.

Targeting Congress slogan

After the first meeting of the newly constituted office-bearers here, the BJP announced a plan to hold demonstrations in all State capitals and district headquarters against rising inflation, which told on the prices of wheat flour, rice and petroleum products. The aim is to hit at the Congress' slogan that its Government is for `aam admi,' the common man.

The BJP claimed that the prices of essential commodities had risen from 15 to 45 per cent since the Manmohan Singh Government took office.

The State units were asked to organise demonstrations from March 20 to 26, by when the new budget proposals will also be known.

Mr. Singh has set up a committee to see what the party can demand of the budget.

The panel, headed by general secretary Arun Jaitley, will have P.N. Vijay and Jagdish Shettigar among its members.

Advani's call

At the meeting, the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked the party to keep an eye on implementation of the "inadequate" National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani appealed to workers to devote extra time to take the party's message to every corner of the country.

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