‘Joseph’ Vijay’s silence on Vinayagar Chathurti exposes TVK's anti-Hindu stance: BJP

CHENNAI: Leaders of the State unit of the BJP have lined up to hit out at actor Vijay for not issuing Vinayagar Charthi wishes, pointing out that he had taken time to greet people for Ramzan, Bakrid and Easter after his political entry and not for the Hindu festival

Even as an old jibe of terming the actor-politician as Joseph Vijay cropped up again, referring to a reported Christian background, Raama Sreenivasan, a member of the State BJP Coordination Committee slammed that TVK is taking an anti-Hindu politics route.

"When it came to movies he (Vijay) chose to thank Lord Ganesh (in the super-hit movie Gilli, but why didn't he greet Lord Ganesh on his Chathurthi after entering into politics," Sreenivasan said in a social media post. BJP leaders have used this occasion to play a narrative that Vijay is no B-team of BJP.

Addressing the gathering in a public meeting at Gobichettipalayam in Erode district, BJP state secretary S G Suryah said the Hindus in Tamil Nadu should not cast their vote for politician Vijay.

"Why should we vote for the leaders who don't even have the guts to greet us on our auspicious festivals? Hindus can vote for anyone. But we should not trash their votes by choosing Vijay,” spoke the BJP leader. When you greet people for festivals of other religions, why can’t he greet Hindus, he questioned.

The tirade by the BJP leaders comes in the backdrop of State BJP committee convener H Raja’s statement that Vijay is going to eat into the votes of Dravidian parties and not the saffron party. Vinoj P Selvam, BJP state secretary slammed Vijay saying that he is peddling the same old strategy of appeasing minorities. "Hope sense will prevail and a neutral face will be projected by Vijay's new political party. He is Stooping too low to the extent of copying the DMK style of not wishing for Vinayagar Chathurthi. Early realisation people," he said.

Commenting on this, senior journalist Kolahala Srenivaas told DT Next that Vijay is following a strategy of garnering 89 per cent of Hindu votes by wearing a "pottu" on his forehead in movies and in public and at the same time, by not greeting Hindu festivals, he is aiming to attract his assured vote bank of Christians and other minorities.

"It is not right to say that Vijay will lose Hindu votes by not greeting Hindu festivals. DMK's election victory is proof that Hindus are not greatly against the Dravidian major, even if the political party does not celebrate their religious festivals," he told this newspaper.

Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam refused to answer questions when DT Next tried to get a response on the issue. The spokesperson Jagadeesh said the party's high command has barred them from speaking to the media or anyone regarding anything related to the party.