Chennai: BJP national president Amit Shah will not attend the memorial meeting of late DMK chief M. Karunanidhi here on Aug. 30, instead he will be represented by BJP senior and Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and party’s national general secretary Muralidhar Rao at the meeting.
Gadkari, is a former national president of the party, and Rao is in-charge of Tamil Nadu affairs. The announcement on Mr. Shah being represented by party seniors, was made by state president Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, thus putting to rest speculation that he would attend the memorial meeting.
As per the original tour schedule of Mr. Shah, he will meet the Chief Ministers and Deputy CMs of the BJP ruled states on Tuesday and would be in New Delhi till Aug.31. On Aug. 30, he would be attending a meeting of the RSS, a senior leader said and added his schedule has been fixed long ago and the State leaders would be informed if there were any changes.
“Already speculation was rife that the BJP was cozying up to the DMK. But the occasion did not set the tone and tenor for such a move,” he said and asserted that Shah had ensured that the party is represented at the memorial meeting.
Though certain media reports claimed that the BJP national chief would surely attend, state leaders have been insisting that they have not been informed about his tour schedule till Sunday. As though confirming Mr. Shah’s plans, party’s MP Subramanian Swamy had on Aug.25 said the party chief has ‘decided not to attend the DMK meet’ in Chennai. “Happy to learn that Party President Amit Shah has decided not to attend the DMK meet,” Mr. Swamy tweeted.
Meanwhile party’s national secretary H. Raja and Dr. Tamilisai also asserted that there is no official confirmation from the party high command over Shah’s visit. Media reports claimed that Shah had accepted the DMK invite, triggering speculations of political realignments ahead of Lok Sabha polls next year.
The DMK has been highly critical of the BJP on several issues, including the Cauvery and NEET and the party had even showed black flags at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the city in April. Black flags were hoisted atop the residences of Karunanidhi, Stalin, Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi and other leaders in protest against Modi's visit and for not forming the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) then.
On Sunday, a visibly annoyed Tamilisai sought to know why the media was showing so much attention on poll alliance and said there was still ample time for the BJP to decide on forming electoral alliances in the State.
