Chennai: The BJP on Monday launched a sharp attack on the administration in Tamil Nadu, run by its ally, the AIADMK, and simultaneously targeted the opposition, DMK, accusing them of sheltering people “not working in the interests of the nation.”
Addressing the Tamil Nadu executive committee of the BJP, via video conferencing from New Delhi, the party’s national president JP Nadda charged that the DMK and the Tamil Nadu administration “have become a sheltering ground” for people, who are not working in the interests of the country. “They are being provided shelter by the administration in Tamil Nadu,” he said, without elaborating who these ‘anti-national’ elements were.
Nadda also did not cite any specific instance of people working against national interests.
The DMK, he said, was “inciting” feelings against the “national spirit”. The administration and political parties must guard against the strengthening of “divisive forces” in Tamil Nadu.
According to him, the DMK was always looking to “disrupt” the assimilation with the national mainstream. The DMK, he felt, was “anti-development” and came up with issues not in the interest of the nation.
Whereas, PM Modi is trying to see to it the people of Tamil Nadu “are brought into the mainstream and contribute to the nation”, he said.
Analysts felt Nadda was clearly seeking to prepare the ground for the BJP for the 2021 Assembly POLL in Tamil Nadu. “Sensing that BJP does not have any significant electoral presence, he has sought to project the DMK, which is widely pitched to succeed the AIADMK in power, as anti-development and anti-national. However, the attack on the administration does come as a surprise,” said an analyst.
However, considering how the BJP had allied with the AIADMK for the Lok Sabha poll last year after having dubbed the ruling party as corrupt, analysts do not rule out the continuance of the alliance next year.
Later, DMK President MK Stalin shot back with an equally strong statement accusing the BJP of using its brute majority in Lok Sabha to work against the Constitution, the country’s pluralism, unity and development by resorting to communalism and linguistic hegemony.
