Two days after the newly elected DMK president MK Stalin declared that the Narendra Modi-led BJP Government at the Centre was the biggest threat to the secular fabric and federalism of the country, the Tamil Nadu BJP chose to react and that too in a subdued manner.

While Tamilissai Sounderarajan, the president of the Tamil Nadu BJP, was careful in her words, H Raja, the national secretary of the party, preferred to retort with facts, figures and statistics. Sounderarajan, a medical doctor by profession, pointed out that there never was a possibility of an electoral alliance between the DMK and her party. “There never was any kind of discussion in Tamil Nadu BJP about an alliance with the DMK ,” she told The Pioneer. When asked why the BJP was not replying to the charges by Stalin and the DMK that her party was a communal organisation, Sounderarajan said  the allegation does not merit any reply.

Raja reminded that the DMK’s former president M Karunanidhi had termed the BJP a communal organisation in June 1998. “Within weeks he aligned with the BJP and was a partner of the National Democratic Alliance till 2004. Why the DMK left the alliance after enjoying the fruits of power remains a mystery,” said Raja.

Referring to the Thanks Giving speech delivered y Stalin on Tuesday, the BJP national secretary, said it was amusing to note that the new DMK president was focussing only on BJP while the AIADMK Government led by Edappadi Palaniswamy got just a passing reference . “The truth is that Stalin is afraid of the BJP. He fears that the BJP, because of its all round performance during the last four years under the leadership of Narendra Modi is all set to take on the DMK,” said Raja.

He said the outreach programme initiated by the Prime Minister has benefitted 22 crore families across the nation. “We are propagating it through the words of the mouth and not through official media or advertisement blitzkrieg. The Prime Minister while addressing the Chief Ministers of the BJP ruled States have asked them to campaign on the good works done by them,” said Raja.

But a senior BJP leader in Tamil Nadu told this newspaper that the State leaders were under instruction from the High Command not to criticise the AIADMK or the DMK for the sake of criticism.

Sounderarajan said that no significance be given to the participation of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in Thursday’s memorial meeting for Karunanidhi. “It’s part of our civility to attend the meeting being held in honour of a former Chief Minister and an alliance partner,” she said.

With the BJP hardening its approach vis-à-vis the DMK, preliminary round of the lok Sabha Election 2019 has come to a conclusion in Tamil Nadu. The next round will see the DMK forging a rainbow alliance with the Congress, the PMK, the lefts, the Islamic parties, the VCK led by Thirumavalavan and fringe Tamil chauvinistic groups.