AIADMK caught in crises, BJP eyes space in TN

By: SHANMUGHASUNDARAM J

CHENNAI: With the principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK, being embroiled in several crises due to the in-fight, the BJP seems to be turning the situation to its advantage to make inroads into the political landscape of the State.

The national leadership of the saffron party has tasked each Union Minister to pay three visits to different parts of the State to review the Central government schemes. Though the BJP leaders maintain that ministers have been visiting other states too, party insiders have claimed that the top leadership is according all importance to Tamil Nadu. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked all Union ministers to visit TN and review the Central government schemes. He has directed them to interact with the public to find out whether the benefits are reaching them and what are the short comings. So far, 19 ministers have visited the state and 50 more will do in the coming days,” said state BJP State president K Annamalai in the presence of Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal during a party programme in Chennai. Goyal’s cabinet colleague Smriti Irani also reached Coimbatore with day-long programmes.

The saffron party has intensified the ministers’ programmes in TN to gain much needed public attention for State and district level leaders. Moreover, they are not restricted to closed-door review meetings and ministers are going to the fields for inspections and interacting with the public, besides meeting Hindu ideologues and visiting famous temples to send across a message to the Dravidian parties. “We are looking beyond 2024. We will soon prove that BJP is the prime opposition to the ruling DMK, ” said a senior leader, echoing Annamalai’s tagline. The ministers’ programmes seem to be paying off as the public too are being invited for the review meetings. “This will help us popularise the BJP government’s schemes and reach out to the beneficiaries and enhance the vote bank, ” said another BJP leader.