Rivals afraid of BJP’s growth, says Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan

Chennai: Achieving a membership of 51 lakhs after projecting itself as a viable alternative in Tamil Nadu, is not a small task for the saffron party here.

Nonetheless, for BJP state president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, the number does not make her complacent. So, she has been silently touring the state without much fanfare gearing up her party workers and attempting to consolidate the vote bank.

After hectically touring about 36 out of 42 party districts she is convinced that the BJP has built up its base and is organisationally strong. “Parties like (Vaiko’s) MDMK and VCK have proved themselves inefficient while the Left parties, which aligned with either the DMK or the AIADMK, have proved that they are deficient. So, the only alternate force is BJP’s NDA. Ours is an effective force and people believing in and loving for an alternative in Tamil Nadu will ensure our combine emerge victorious,” she said.

Speaking to this correspondent on Wednesday Dr Tamilisai said she was hopeful that the 2016 poll will make the BJP emerge as the alternative force in TN. Taking potshots at DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin’s state-wide tour — Namakku Naame — the senior leader claimed Stalin went around the state as if his party was pure and “I wonder what his DMK had achieved while in power.”

“What did Vaiko or Thirumavalavan do? And like them Mr Karunanidhi (DMK president) criticises the BJP and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are afraid of BJP’s growth and hence want to confuse the people and so they are spreading canard about our party,” the senior leader charged and added the BJP was growing independently.

Questioning those parties’ credentials in taking on the BJP she asked them to get the facts right that the BJP, which is a ruling party at the Centre, was the only party that had opposed corruption and was keeping its promise of providing corruption-free governance.

“The claims of other parties on ensuring an alternate government is hollow because they had boycotted the local bodies elections in which the BJP alone took on the AIADMK,” she said.

The BJP, which is keen on prospering its prospects in the state, is eager to rope in the newly floated G.K. Vasan’s TMC to face the Assembly elections next year. The former Union minister who has rejected the People’s Welfare Front’s invitation to join its combine, has also been touring the state addressing party workers.

“We will be happy if Vasan aligns with the NDA. He has the responsibility to throw out the Dravidian parties. The NDA will be a great force if the TMC joins our combine,” Dr Tamilisai said and appealed to all like-minded political parties that want to banish the Dravidian parties to join hands with the NDA.

Asked on the choice of Chief Ministerial candidate, she said the NDA constituents would make a collective decision and announce.

“No one is inferior or superior. More than the candidate, it is emerging as an alternative force that matters most for us,” the senior leader noted.