Chennai: Until the Lok Sabha poll results were announced and Narendra Modi galloped on his way to form the government with comfortable numbers of his own, the BJP had long been politically untouchable for most parts of the Dravidian reign in Tamil Nadu. But the political canvas has dramatically changed in the state. Saffron is no more an unpleasant colour. The flood of goodwill messages received by the new state BJP office-bearers is an indication of the changed political scenario in Tamil Nadu, say party seniors.
“The BJP has become more acceptable now because Modi is able to address every section of society and generate confidence in them that he has answers to each and every problem of theirs. People's expectations from the government have gone up, particularly after the dismal performance of the UPA regimes. Technology is also helping us because that enables us to take our work down to the common man”, says R. Kalyanaraman, former national secretary, Bharatiya Janata Mazdoor Morcha
Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan has been aggressive in taking up TN issues, particularly the fishermen's problems at the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy, knowing well that there could be no better way of building the BJP in the Dravidian land, brick by brick. “And now within a few months of our coming to power, action has been taken to have the Mullaiperiyar dam height raised and to seriously take up the fishermen issue with Colombo. The Cauvery dispute too would be addressed soon and our Tamil Nadu farmers are sure to get their share of water”, said Radhakrishnan with new confidence.
The Minister also made another interesting observation - that some political leaders, because of vested interests, were trying to scuttle the pro-people schemes and projects of the Jayalalithaa government. “All this will now change”, he asserted. It would be easy to interpret this as the BJP senior warning the rivals of the AIADMK trying to derail the government schemes even as his party tries to warm up to the TN ruling party.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa too is generous in her positive responses to the developments in the BJP. She was among the first to congratulate Dr Tamilisai Sounderarajan when she was named successor to Pon Radhakrishnan as the state BJP president. “I thank the CM for her good wishes. I hope to see her soon to personally thank her”, Tamilisai said.
