CHENNAI: BJP State president Nainar Nagenthran on Wednesday said a team of national leaders, including Union Minister Piyush Goyal, would visit Tamil Nadu on December 23 to review the party’s organisational and electoral preparedness.

He said the visiting leaders would include BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and BJP national vice-president and southern States in-charge C.T. Ravi Muraleedharan Mohan. The visit would focus on assessing party structures and preparations in the State.

Nagendran was speaking after a high-level BJP meeting chaired by him at a private hotel in Guindy, Chennai. The meeting was attended by former State president Annamalai, BJP national secretary and Tamil Nadu in-charge Arvind Menon, national joint in-charge Sudhakar Reddy, former State president Tamilisai Soundararajan and other senior leaders.

Criticising the DMK government, Nagendran alleged that it had increased property tax and electricity tariffs and failed to implement its promise of monthly electricity billing. He also claimed that law and order had deteriorated in the State, citing crimes, deaths reported in Kallakurichi and a stampede-related incident in Karur, and the alleged spread of narcotic substances.

He further alleged that funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme had been reduced and said the people would not endorse a government that had failed on governance and public safety.