Tamil Nadu   

BJP, Janata Party leaders pay homage at Gandhi statue

Special Correspondent

They want to provide a `nationalistic' platform

AUSPICIOUS START: Leaders of the BJP and its alliance partners paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi before introducing their candidates at a meeting in Chennai on Wednesday. — Photo: Vino John

CHENNAI: The Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Marina on Wednesday afternoon saw a different group of political visitors. The group did not comprise members of the Congress but of candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies who would be entering the poll fray this time.

Led by the BJP's senior leader M. Venkaiah Naidu, the contestants offered their floral homage to Gandhiji before taking a pledge at a marriage hall in Royapettah. The BJP national secretary Bandaru Dattatreya and the Janata Party state unit president, V.S. Chandralekha, were among those present.

At the marriage hall, a portrait of Gandhiji was kept along with those of the late Deendayal Upadhyaya, president of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (1967-68), previous incarnation of the BJP, and B.R. Ambedkar, architect of the Constitution, besides the portrait of `Bharat Mata.'

Addressing the candidates at the marriage hall, Mr. Naidu focussed, among others, on two themes. One was that Tamil Nadu was an important base of nationalists including Kattabomman, Vanchinathan, Subramania Bharati, V.O. Chidambaram, Rajaji, Satyamurti, Kamaraj and G.K. Moopanar. Against this backdrop, the BJP wanted to provide a "nationalistic platform" in the State, which, Mr. Naidu said, was tired of the "politics of negativism" practised by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

The other focal point was his attack on the Congress for aligning itself with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

He recalled that the Congress withdrew its support to the United Front Government in 1997, charging the DMK of being responsible for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

Though it was normal for political parties to change their partners, the Congress had no hesitation aligning with the DMK against which it made very serious allegations. This smacked of "opportunism."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

`Knowledge connectivity must'
Stage set for battles royal in Thanjavur district
`English language vital to get jobs'
Karunanidhi embarks on a State-wide election tour
BJP, Janata Party leaders pay homage at Gandhi statue
Jayalalithaa promises project to conserve floodwater
Filing of nominations begins today
Maran files defamatory suit against Vaiko
Simplify norms for postal ballot: Government staff
Congress, DMK swap seat
Briefly

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu