TN BJP in high spirits, evoke Modi mantra for urban polls

The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP is in high spirits while readying itself to contest the Urban local body elections on February 19.

The party rank and file are confident that after snapping ties with the AIADMK and going solo, it will fare better. It’s campaign is mainly centred around the performance of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

BJP state president K. Annamalai, a former IPS officer, has charged the DMK government with total and abject failure and failing to keep the promises made during the run-up to the 2021 Assembly elections.

The BJP is mainly focusing on the clean image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Tamil Nadu state president of the party had in a meeting of cadres said that the candidates fielded by the BJP are having a clean image just like the PM.

With the BJP and AIADMK snapping their ties for the urban local body elections in order to accommodate more candidates, the BJP has a leverage on its own and can raise the pet subjects of conversion and poor management of the Hindu temples and the Islamic terror growth during the electoral campaign. During the Assembly elections of 2021 and the previous General elections, the BJP could not raise these issues because in full and had to contend with saving the minority vote bank of the AIADMK.

The BJP state president is also comparing the rule of Stalin in Tamil Nadu and that of Narendra Modi at the Centre. In party cadre meetings he has said that the DMK government distributed poor quality materials in the gift hampers for Pongal while the Narendra Modi government at the Centre provided free vaccine to millions of people against Covid -19.

Charging the DMK for its stand against NEET, K. Annamalai in a public programme on Sunday said, “The DMK is against NEET but it should be remembered that 545 students from poor backgrounds and from government schools got admission in Tamil Nadu medical colleges through NEET during this academic year.”

The BJP state president also came out heavily against the DMK youth wing leader, Udhayanidhi Stalin and said, “The DMK is running away from the poll promises it made to the people during the 2021 Assembly elections. When asked about the Rs 1,000 deposit to housewives made by the DMK during the elections of 2021, the Chief Minister’s son is saying that they have four more years left in power. This is duplicity and DMK will have to pay for this.”

The BJP leader also charged that after making 517 poll promises, the DMK was not able to fulfil even 7 of them. He also said that the DMK was threatening the BJP candidates and added that the party candidates and local leaders are least bothered by the threat by the DMK.

The BJP has also raked up the issue of the suicide of a Plus two student in Thanjavur alleging forced conversion to Christianity and has been actively campaigning in the state on unabated conversions taking place in the state.

The BJP is expected to do well in several constituencies during the Urban local body elections and the party is concentrating more on Coimbatore, Madurai and South Tamil Nadu where it has its own strength. It may be noted that during the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP state president K. Annamalai had garnered 67,000 votes which was a good figure for the party and is trying to capitalise on that advantage.