After Vel Yatra, Surappa issue tests AIADMK-BJP ties

Further, with Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah scheduled to visit Chennai this weekend, the saffron party workers are working overtime to show some glitz and traction the party has been receiving for protesting against the Karuppar Koottam and the VCK, though the AIADMK government has banned Vel Yatra citing prevalence of coronavirus. The national party’s month-long activities aimed at Hindutva votes also irked the ruling party.

“The ruling AIADMK is upset with the BJP and senior leaders are fearing that religious polarisation by the national party will eat into the AIADMK’s minority vote bank. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has made it very clear that the law will do its duty. But, the BJP functionaries fail to understand the issue,” said an AIADMK spokesperson.

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar had also categorically explained the government’s stand, but the BJP is adamant over the Vel Yatra. No religious rally has succeeded in Tamil Nadu and such moves by the AIADMK only creates unnecessary friction between the alliance partners, the AIADMK senior said.

Meanwhile, RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy had also extended his support to Surappa stating that the Vice Chancellor is a man of impeccable integrity and is persecuted by the state government. In a recent tweet Gurumurthy said “Surappa’s decision to refuse degrees to students with arrears was upheld by the UGC, SC and HC of Madras. This was a huge slap on the TN government. Now the government is taking revenge on Surappa for his action in protecting the academic standards of Anna University.” “Both the AIADMK and the BJP has been slamming each other through party organs and press conferences. The recent ban on Vel Yatra and the inquiry commission by the state against Anna University Vice Chancellor Surappa had also led to more friction between the NDA alliance partners in the state, but more drama are awaited ahead of the upcoming poll,” opined Poonga Nagar Selvam, North Chennai AIADMK MGR Mandram functionary.