Following warnings by the cadre campaigning for the BJP candidate at Srirangam that the party is in for a disastrous performance in the February 13 by-election, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Tamil Nadu has pressed the panic button. Top RSS leaders in the State told The Pioneer that the BJP central leadership has been asked to depute leaders who could salvage at least some prestige of the party at Srirangam.
The BJP which was initially projected as a viable alternative to both the AIADMK and the DMK in Tamil Nadu is struggling hard to remain afloat at Srirangam. While the main fight is between the candidates of the ruling AIADMK and the opposition DMK, the BJP candidate is visible nowhere in the constituency. Even the CPI(M) candidate is more popular than BJP’s M Subramanian.
“The RSS had no role in the selection of this candidate. We never interfere with selection process of party candidates. But it is for the BJP to find out a suitable candidate with potential to win the election. The Tamil Nadu BJP leadership let us down by fielding Subramanian,” a senior RSS functionary confided to The Pioneer.
“Yes, we had told the BJP leadership to depute Dr Subramanian Swamy who can effectively communicate with the Srirangam electorate. It is for them to decide now,” said the leader who did not want his name to be quoted.
Subramanian, the BJP candidate, launched his campaign much later because of the court cases against him. There is a criminal cheating case filed against him by a hardware company for non-payment of Rs 1.5 crore towards cost of computers purchased by an engineering college owned by the former.
The Tamil Nadu RSS leader said chances are that the BJP candidate may finish fourth behind the CPI(M) candidate. “I am sorry to tell that the central leadership of the BJP is not bothered about the Tamil Nadu unit of the party. It is more than two months since party’s national president Amit Shah toured the State and asked party leaders to go for an all out campaign to build the BJP. But nothing has happened since then,” said the RSS leader.
The by-election at Srirangam was necessitated by the conviction and sentencing of J JAyalalithaa, former chief minister in the disproportionate wealth case by a special court in Bangalore in September last. Jayalalithaa, who was sentenced to four years imprisonment is out on bail granted by the apex court. Though it was senior BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy who filed the case against her, the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP is yet to recognise him.