MADURAI/ CHENNAI: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu, his trusted political craftsman and BJP president Amit Shah made a flying visit to Madurai on Thursday to reach out to the Devendrakula Vellalars (a segment of Scheduled Caste) and also strategically build an OBC-Dalit axis. Simultaneously he sold the idea of development sans corruption, a slogan that had catapulted Modi to the top job in New Delhi a year ago.
Shah refrained from directly attacking the ruling AIADMK. Such restraint came in the backdrop of speculations that Modi could well break the protocol and call on CM J Jayalalithaa at her Poes Garden residence during his official visit on Friday. BJP leaders, however, could not confirm if Modi would indeed meet her in a bid to win over the AIADMK’s support in Parliament where several crucial legislations are pending.
Shah was in Madurai to back a demand of the Devendrakula Vellalars to recognise them as a separate sub-sect of SC at a meeting organised jointly by the Devendrar Thannarva Arakkattalai and Swadeshi Jagran Manch. Shah used the occasion to experiment a “social engineering” of sorts by getting representatives of four groups – Nadars, Reddiars, Thevars and Naickers – to endorse the demand of the Devendrakula Vellalars to be recognised as a distinct community.