DMDK chief to cobble together an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Modi
DMDK founder Vijayakanth sought the saffron party leaders to be part of his delegation to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Chennai: The Kamalalayam — BJP state headquarters here — had a surprise visitor in DMDK founder Vijayakanth on Sunday when he sought the saffron party leaders to be part of his delegation to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ironically, Vijayakanth had never been to the Kamalalayam even at the time of negotiations for poll tie-up during the LS polls or even later.
But the issue that is raging in the minds of a section of the BJP cadres is whether Vijayakanth is attempting to emerge as a “bigger hero” by championing the cause of the state and almost succeeding in taking the Opposition parties, including ally BJP, with him; especially at a time when the BJP here is projecting itself as an ‘alternative’ to both the major Dravidian parties.
Nevertheless, his carefully engineered move has taken the wind out of the sails of the political parties and he has elicited spontaneous support for his Delhi mission.“We appreciate his efforts to bring all political parties together for the cause of Tamil Nadu, particularly on the Mekedatu checkdam project, which is causing concern to all of us… we will stand by him (Vijayakanth),” Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, BJP state president, said on her party’s stand.
Vijayakanth is scheduled to meet PM Modi at 12.30 pm on Monday and this meeting is facilitated by Union minister of state for road transport, highways and shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan. Dr Tamilisai is likely to be present during the meeting.Though Vijayakanth will be taking up a host of other subjects like the killing of 20 TN woodcutters in cold blood by the AP police, and the fishermen issue, Karnataka’s belligerent stand is posing a problem to the BJP here.
Denying the Opposition charge that the Modi government was acting in favour of Karnataka, Dr Tamilisai said the Centre had already clarified that environmental clearance has not been accorded to Karnataka’s proposed project at Mekedatu. If ‘Captain’, as Vijayakanth is fondly called by his followers, succeeds in making Modi halt the project, he is likely to emerge as a “bigger hero.”
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