Chennai: While Bharatiya Janata Party’s social media team took on #GoBackModi with #MaduraiThanksModi & #TNWelcomesModi, and the police and the BJP workers ‘handled’ protesters and posters on streets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Madurai visit Sunday, laid the foundation stone for not just AIIMS, but also his party’s alliance for the fast approaching Lok Sabha elections.
If sources are to be believed, preliminary talks, which were already initiated by BJP leaders with some Tamilnadu parties, reached an important stage Sunday with Modi personally ‘reviewing the progress’. “The Prime Minister is set to visit Tamilnadu twice next month during which the alliance will get its full shape,” they said, adding, “TN political arena will be in for some surprises”.
Also, Modi’s assurance to “ensure justice as well as opportunities” for Devendra Kula Vellalar community is being viewed as a part of BJP’s strategy to win hearts (or votes) of people in the southern districts of the State.
“We will ignore negativity and reach out to people with positive promises. Moreover, our achievements will speak for us and AIIMS-Madurai will be a feather in BJP’s cap,” says a party senior.
This was outlined by Modi himself in Madurai. “It is unfortunate that an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust is being created by a few people in Tamilnadu, to serve their own selfish interests. I urge all of you to remain vigilant against such negativity,” said the PM.
The BJP office-bearer adds: “The same set of people who opposed Modi’s visit to launch AIIMS on Sunday welcomed Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, whose party was in power when Tamils were killed in large numbers in Sri Lanka, to Chennai recently. They also rolled out the red carpet to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu who were against the interests of Tamilnadu. Their double-standards and selfish motives stand exposed now.”
However, Vaiko, who staged an agitation against Modi’s visit, said, “We are not opposing AIIMS. In fact, we welcome it. Our demonstration was because the Centre had accorded permission to projects like neutrino and hydrocarbon extraction which would have an adverse impact on the livelihood of the farmers and also affect the common people. Also, the Union government is supportive of Karnataka’s bid to build a dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery by giving permission for preparing a detailed project report.”
Reacting to this, the BJP leader states, “People are not ready to believe lies. We won only one seat from Tamilnadu in 2014 elections. But this time, our victory will be bigger in the State.”