Though the Central leadership of the BJP has been doing its best to keep Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in good humour, the Amma is cut up with the BJP if the charges levelled by her against the party are any indication.
In spite of senior Union Ministers calling on Jayalalithaa whenever they land in Chennai and compliment her for the good governance, Jayalalithaa embarrassed the BJP’s national leadership on Sunday by asking the electorate at Thoothukudi not to vote for the BJP.
Campaigning for the AIADMK’s mayoral candidate at Thoothukudi, Jayalalithaa accused the BJP of pursuing double standards on the Tamil Nadu fishermen issue addressing election campaign meetings for her party candidate APR Anthony Gracy for the Thoothukudi mayoral election on Sunday, Jayalalithaa said people of Tamil Nadu would not benefit if they vote for the BJP.
“The BJP has different leaders at the Centre and in the State. The stands on issues too are different. Thoothukudi has a large fishermen population. Though the Sri lankan Navy has been arresting the fishermen from the State, the Centre has not done anything to find a permanent solution in spite of me taking up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” charged Jayalalithaa.
“What is the stand of the State unit of the BJP on the issue of the arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri lankan NavyIJ The members of the Tamil Nadu BJP are saying that there should be a permanent solution to the matter. But another leader of the same party is going against the Tamil Nadu fishermen,” she said in an apparent reference to Subramanian Swamy.
She was referring to the statement made by senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy that he would argue only for the release of the arrested fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are in Sri lankan jails but would not plead for the release of boats. There are 75 fishing trawlers from Tamil Nadu in Sri lankan custody.
Earlier in the day, in a special message to the people of Tamil Nadu on the eve of the 106th birth anniversary of C N Annadurai, founder of the DMK, Jayalalithaa said Annadurai launched the DMK for the betterment of Tamil community.
“But an evil force usurped the party following the death of Annadurai. The world is laughing with pity at the sight of that evil force today getting caught in a maze in the political arena,” she said in an apparent reference to DMK chief Karunanidhi and the internal squabbles in DMK besides its poor showing in elections including the lok Sabha polls.