BJP’s star power fails to impress party old-timers

The party’s latest office-bearers list includes Kasthuri Raja, Dhanush’s father and Radha Ravi, son of Dravidian leader M R Radha. The party had also roped in Vidya Rani, the younger daughter of forest brigand Veerappan as a youth wing leader. As of now, the BJP has more stars in its executive committee when compared to the DMK and the AIADMK. But the move to rope in celebrities from film industry into the party has not gone well among the old-timers, particularly the RSS followers. “Senior leaders like L Ganesan, H Raja and Pon Radhakrishnan are upset and regional leaders like Nainar Nagendran, Vanathi Srinivasan and C P Radhakrishnan are silent adding to the speculation,” quipped a senior BJP leader.

While actor Namitha has got a plum post, several party workers, who left their jobs to join the BJP during the days of former PM Vajpayee were left in the lurch, the senior said adding that the online public meetings conducted by the BJP leaders on the one-year completion of union government were attended by less than 500 people at any particular point of time. The party was visible during the days of Tamilisai Soundarajan.

However, a senior functionary close to the BJP president L Murugan denied that there were any heartburns among the party members. There may be minor issues and factions like any other party, but after the appointment of Murugan, he has brought in more men and muscle to the party.

He has brought in Dalit leader V P Duraisamy and the advocate union leader Paul Kanagaraj into the party. The party had also offered key posts to cine stars starting from Namitha, Gautami, Gayatri Raghuram, Kutti Padmini, academician Maduvanthi. Besides, there are diehard supporters like Gangai Amaran, Kasthuri Raja and Pon Ambalam who will be crucial during 2021assembly polls, the functionary from central Chennai told DT Next.