Patna, Jun 22 (PTI) Union minister and Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai on Saturday called upon party leaders and workers to extend all help to the families of those suffering from brain fever or heat stroke "without using the party emblem or banner or any type of pomp and show".

Rai said this here at a meeting which was attended by senior leaders like Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and national general secretary (organization) Ram Lal.

The meeting began with the partymen observing a two- minute silence as an expression of grief over deaths in heat wave and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Heat wave and AES claimed over 100 and 200 lives respectively in the state.

Addressing the meeting, Ram Lal said, "The primary characteristic of our organization has been its commitment to serving the nation. In this hour of crisis in Bihar, I hope our cadres will rise to the occasion."

He also asked party workers to devote themselves towards strengthening the party's organization during the membership drive beginning next month.

Nityanand Rai, who has been appointed as the Union minister of state for Home, said "The success of the membership drive is essential to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's motto of sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas. Party workers must aim at increasing the number of BJP members in the state by at least 25 per cent."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)