Goa, Aug. 25 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has asked its cadre to strengthen public outreach and urged elected representatives to spend more time in their constituencies as criticism grows against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government over issues including employment, examination-related concerns and rising costs of food, transport and energy, according to people familiar with the matter.

The directive comes shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a lengthy meeting with the BJP's newly appointed office bearers on Saturday. During the four-hour interaction, Modi is learnt to have stressed the need for the new team to act quickly and reconnect with voters at the grassroots level.

According to a person ...