Chennai: The BJP in Tamil Nadu on Monday flayed MDMK leader Vaiko for holding a black flag demo against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Madurai visit, saying he did it for his own “promotion”.
While Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan claimed the protest had “no effect” on the PM’s name or fame in any way, BJP’s state president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan said the MDMK campaign was not reflective of the people’s sentiments.
Speaking to reporters at the airport here, Radhakrishnan said, “Yesterday’s protests that included waving black flags at Prime Minister Modi had no impact on his name and fame.”
To a question on the BJP’s alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the minister said the announcements would be made at the appropriate time.
Tamilisai said PM’s Madurai visit on Sunday to lay the foundation stone for an AIIMS was aimed at the development of southern Tamil Nadu. She demanded to know what Vaiko had done for the region in the past when he was an MP. “Your black flag protest is for your own publicity and it does not reflect Tamil Nadu people’s sentiments,” she said in a statement.
“People will not forgive those who showed black flags to the Prime Minister who had come for (launching) public welfare schemes. The BJP will also not tolerate those making cheap criticism against the Prime Minister,” she added.
She also took a dig at Vaiko’s vow to make MK Stalin the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, seeking to remind him of his bitter rivalry with the DMK president in the past.
Led by Vaiko, MDMK cadres had staged black flag protest against Modi at Madurai, accusing him of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. They raised slogans against the PM and also released black balloons, alleging he had betrayed the interests of Tamil Nadu on Cauvery and other issues.
Pointing out at Vaiko’s strong pro-LTTE stand, Dr Tamilisai sought to know why he was now supporting the DMK-Congress combine, accused of aiding the earlier Mahinda Rajapaksa dispensation in its fight against the LTTE which resulted in heavy Tamil civilian casualties. “This shows your often changing political colours and the people are well aware of it”, she said.
On the Opposition charge that the PM did not visit Tamil Nadu to see for himself the severe damage and destruction caused by the Gaja super cyclone that hit the state coast in November 2018, Dr Tamilisai said the Centre had responded quickly and effectively by providing assistance to the state government, thus preventing large scale loss of lives. The Prime Minister took part in the people’s grief even as his office monitored the relief activities by deputing Central Ministers, she said.
