Amit Shah's visit to Chennai boosts morale of TN BJP cadre

CHENNAI: The whirlwind visit of Union Home minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah to Chennai and the pep talk he has given to party cadres have boosted the morale of the state unit of the party.

BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai told reporters that Amit Shah had asked the party leaders to focus on strengthening the party in the state.

Amit Shah, according to BJP leaders, told them that after the demise of two towering leaders of the state and former Chief Ministers, M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, the field was open and that BJP had a high chance of gaining ground.

A senior leader of the BJP, who was part of the meeting at party headquarters, Kamalalayam and privy to developments in the state unit, told IANS, "Amit Shah means business. He has a clear roadmap to success and has the blueprint ready. He is a leader who micromanages party affairs and has asked us to build the party from the grassroots level."

The state BJP leader adds, "Amit Shah categorically stated that both the Dravidian parties, DMK and AIADMK are not what they used to be. He had said that DMK was following dynastic politics while AIADMK was almost disintegrated following the group war and other intrinsic issues."

The national BJP will be concentrating more on the state BJP affairs after the Himachal and Gujarat election results and the party is considering Tamil Nadu as a major opportunity for it to explore.