CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanging pleasantries with TMC president and former Union Minister GK Vasan at the Chennai airport on Friday has strengthened the speculations that the BJP is trying to rope in Vasan as its State unit president. The post has been vacant after the elevation of Tamilisai Soundararajan as Governor of Telangana. Even one and a half months after she quit as BJP's state unit president, the party is yet to identify a suitable person for the post.
Just after the arrival of Modi at the airport on Friday, Vasan presented a shawl to the leader and greeted him. Modi stopped briefly to ask,"How are you Vasanji? You said you would come and meet me but you have not, so far. When are you coming?" Responding, Vasan said he would meet him soon.
Asked about the prime minister's invitation to him, Vasan told Express, “The prime minister's words cannot be taken that way. Our Prime Minister is gifted with sharp intellect and memory. I am a leader of one of his alliance parties. I had met the prime minister on a few occasions at public places. Both the times, during the short conversations, as a matter of courtesy, I told him that I would meet him. But since the prime minister has been very busy, I did not want to disturb him. Besides, I have no personal agenda in meeting him.”
On the speculations that being considered for the post of president of BJP's state unit, Vasan said, “I don't want to respond to rumours. Tamil Maanila Congress is strong enough to run as a regional party and
we will maintain our identity. We are doing well; we want to score more in the ensuing elections to local bodies as well as in the next general elections to the State Assembly. I have roots here and my
party has units at the village level. Our party observers are convening block-level meetings to choose proper candidates for local body elections.”
The speculations about Vasan joining the BJP have been doing the rounds ever since he quit the Congress party in 2014 and Vasan too had denied such reports. In May this year, after the DMK-Conress alliance
swept the Lok Sabha elections, TNCC president KS Alagiri invited TMC to merge with Congress, but Vasan rejected the invitation and said his party will remain an independent party. But after Tamilisai
Soundararajan was appointed as Telangana Governor, there have been speculations that the BJP is trying to rope in Vasan to lead the party in Tamil Nadu.