On Friday, politicians make a beeline to mosques for votes

In Madurai, the situation turned ugly for the AIADMK party workers, who visited a mosque in Pudhur in Madurai. In Pudhur pallivasal, heated arguments broke between the AIADMK workers and those who came to offer prayers there.

Upset over the response, Cooperatives Minister Sellur K Raju, who had gathered with his supporters seeking votes for NDA candidates left the venue pacifying the agitators. “You have allied with BJP, please get out,” echoed the protester. To this, a few Muslim AIADMK supporters shouted back resulting in a brawl. At last, the Minister Sellur Raju urged the party workers to leave the area defusing tension.

Later in the day, the AIADMK party workers in Madurai successfully managed to campaign in Melur mosque seeking votes for party candidate Raj Satyan along with AIADMK party workers. The AIADMK party functionaries in several areas urged the party minority wing to do their groundwork facilitating the campaign for AIADMK party candidates in the community.

However, there were no disruptions for the AMMK and DMK campaigners. Interestingly, the DMK and AMMK adopted a same Tamil slogan – “Modi a ootuku anupanum vote podunga” – It’s time to send Modi home please vote and this connected with the voters in North Chennai and Dindigul. “I campaigned for a few minutes near Pulianthope mosque but returned as there was no permission from the jamath. “All of us want to throw Modi out of power and I will campaign with my Muslim brethren after getting due permission on coming Sunday,” AMMK north Chennai candidate P Santhana Krishnan told DT Next. Our party is for the religious minorities and we get a good reception from minority populated areas, Santhana Krishnan claimed.

“Mosque and other religious places are not the ideal place to campaign, but political parties chose the mosques as they attract crowd during Fridays and Sundays. We will allow people to campaign based on the response from our masjid members,” said a functionary in Triplicane big mosque.