MADURAI: There was little left to imagine about which way the Bharatiya Janata Party was looking to go. Indications of the party’s increasing lean towards the AIADMK were all but stated intention at ‘Thamarai Sangamam’, the party’s two-day state conference here.
Even as BJP leaders went weapons-free in their attacks on the Congress and its UPA ally DMK, they treaded a tighter line with the AIADMK. Eyes were clearly set on the Lok Sabha polls that are scheduled for 2014. Attacks were levelled against the DMK and other Dravidian parties in general, but never directed specifically at the AIADMK. The criticism of the AIADMK was not forthcoming, despite leaders conceding that there were issues to blame the AIADMK government with.
“Local issues like the hike in prices of milk and electricity and the power crunch are worrying,” regretted BJP national spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman.
If that was not soft pedalling, BJP state president Pon Radhakrishnan thanked Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for the smooth conduct of the conference. “We thank the CM and her government for giving us security. While we have been put to inconvenience by the police, the CM probably had no knowledge of this,” he said.
But he still summarily attacked the Dravidian parties. “These parties were in power since 1967. They have ruined Tamil Nadu. The BJP is the only party that can usher in a change,” he said.
Even as they kept claiming that they could win seats in the state without the help of any other party, BJP leaders did not want to be quoted saying that. They refused to discuss the possibility of a tie-up with the AIADMK, saying that it is under the purview of the party’s HQ in Delhi.