Senior BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu say they are shocked by the alliance partners selected by the leadership for the upcoming Assembly election. “Barring one or two outfits, all eight parties with which the BJP has forged alliance are mere letter-head organisations with no following of any kind,” said a senior BJP leader. The senior leaders said they do not want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to campaign in the State because the BJP is incapable of making any impact in the election.
Many BJP leaders expressed dismay over the party’s alliance with Indian Jananayaka Katchi (IJK), floated by transport operator and education entrepreneur Patchamuthu who is at the Centre of a controversy following allegations that he had encroached on Government land for building hotel and college buildings.
The IJK, an outfit promoted by Patchamuthu (who is also known as Parivendhar) to safeguard the interests of the Udayar community, has been allotted 45 seats. The party is yet to announce the names of candidates. Another outfit with which the BJP has entered into an alliance is India Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam, a hitherto unheard entity which has been allotted 24 seats.
A look at the list of the alliance partners of the BJP will amuse all. “The party which rules the country has pact with All India Telugu Sammelanam, All India Muslim Munnetra Kazhakam, Federation of All Arundhatiyar Makkal welfare Association, Vettuva Gounder Ilaignar Nala Sangam, South India Forward Block and Tamil Nadu Boyar Welfare Association,” said Kattumannarkoil Kannan, a national council member of the BJP. Kannan said it would have been much better had the BJP contested the election on its own like the Pattali Makkal Katchi led by Ramadoss.
Even K Sarvothaman, state secretary, BJP, could not make out the details about Boyar Welfare association. “Some caste outfit; that’s all” laughed Sarvothaman when asked about the details of the party.
K T Raghavan, BJP spokesman, who has been fielded at Kulathur against M K Stalin of the DMK, rejected the allegations and charges that the alliance partners of the party were weak and hitherto unheard entities. “These parties approached us and we did not say no to them. We did not go after them pleading with them to join us,” said Raghavan.
Hindu Makkal Katchi, an outfit which has more than 72,000 active members has been kept away from the BJP-led front because of the vested interests of some of the BJP leaders, alleged Arjun Sampath, president, HMK. He said he was not included in the BJP-led front in spite of recommendation by Jayendra Saraswathi, the pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt.
Veteran political analysts and observers are unanimous in their opinion that the BJP has miles to travel in Tamil Nadu before it could emerge as a viable alternative.