Assembly polls: BJP to go it alone in TN?

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Assembly polls: BJP to go it alone in TN?

Sunday, 10 January 2021 | Kumar Chellappan | CHENNAI

With Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling off his scheduled visit to Chennai  on January 14, people in Tamil Nadu lost an important chance to know which way political realignment was progressing in the State in the run up to the upcoming Assembly election. What makes Amit Shah cancelling his Chennai visit distinct is the discernible change in the attitude of the BJP cadre towards the AIADMK.

“It is time for the BJP to dump the AIADMK and align with like minded parties. The DMK and the AIADMK had exploited the good will enjoyed by the BJP and dumped them afterwards,” said Ranganathan, proprietor of a leading publishing house in Chennai. He said the Dravidian parties are infamous for their use and throw away strategies. “If the BJP leaders are yet to understand this strategy, its their fate,” he said.

Shah was to be the chief guest of the anniversary of Tughlaq, a popular Tamil socio-political weekly launched by late “Cho” Ramaswamy, the State’s leading cultural icon. Anniversary meetings of Tughlaq were an indication of which way the political wind is blowing in the State.

When Shah came to Chennai in the month of November 2020, he was accorded a reception befitting that of a head of a State. Chief Minister  Edappadi Palaniswamy, his deputy O Panneerselvam and members of the council of ministers were in attendance at the airport to welcome and see off Shah which surprised even BJP leaders.

During a Government function, the Chief Minister and his deputy declared that the AIADMK’s electoral alliance with the BJP would continue for the assembly election. Both of them waxed eloquence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Shah. But the home minister confined his speech to appreciate the good works done by the AIADMK Government during the last ten years.

Since then, lot of things have happened in the State. K P Munusami, MP and senior AIADMK leader declared that the BJP would never be part of the AIADMK led government and described the Hindutwa outfit a non-Dravidian party which was not welcome in Tamil Nadu.

The meeting Shah had with the district level office bearers of the BJP during his Chennai trip saw party office bearers expressing their unhappiness over the alliance with the AIADMK. “Chief Minister Palaniswamy told his Muslim audience that the AIADMK was the guardian angels of the minorities and they need not be worried over his party’s alliance with the BJP. What does this show?” asked Arjun Sampath, president, Hindu Makkal Katchi, an outfit with considerable presence among the State’s Hindu community.

He said the BJP leaders should take the initiative to go it alone in the assembly elections. “There are many small outfits in Tamil Nadu which can act as force multipliers for the BJP,” said Sampath.

But N Muthuraman, co-founder, Swrajya, says that the BJP should align with the AIADMK. “The saffron party is yet to establish a network in Tamil Nadu. Now that Rajinikanth has declared his intention to keep away from active politics, Tamil Nadu BJP finds itself without any alliance partners,” said Muthuraman.

A senior BJP leader said that there was a strong anti-incumbency wave against the AIADMK in the State. “The memorandum submitted by the DMK to the Governor listing the details of corruption charges have to be taken seriously. Edappadi’s habit of eulogising the minorities and belittling the Hindus has antagonised the Hindu voters in the State,” said the leader.

Pongal, the national festival of Tamils falls on January 14 and people in the State prefer to launch new initiatives after the auspicious day. 

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