TIRUCHY: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Tamil Nadu on January 12 to open 11 medical colleges, a campaign has been launched on social media alleging that the DMK and BJP were inching closer to each other. However, leaders of both the parties denied it, saying it was just a government programme.
As soon as the news broke that Narendra Modi and Chief Minister M K Stalin would share the dais at Virudhunagar, supporters and cadre of the Naam Tamilar Katchi and some others started questioning the DMK’s position vis-à-vis the BJP through a spate of social media posts, accusing them of forging a secret alliance.
On January 3, a picture depicting DMK and BJP flags fluttering together was circulated to give credence to the campaign. But leaders of both the DMK and BJP rubbished the speculation raised on social media.
Talking to The New Indian Express, Vanathi Srinivasan, MLA and national president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, said, "As per our constitutional framework, both the Union and the state governments have to function harmoniously in order to implement various important schemes. This should be seen in this light only. The AIADMK government also did the same thing. But the DMK ridiculed it as a slave to the Union government."
She also added that the parties in the NDA were working unitedly and dismissed the speculation about the DMK and BJP coming together as baseless and unnecessary.
Regarding the photo of DMK and BJP flags fluttering together, Vanathi Srinivasan said, “Velu Nachiyar’s birth anniversary was celebrated at Sivaganga on January 3. BJP’s women wing organised an event there. Hence we erected our party flag poles along the way leading to her memorial. Similarly, DMK leaders also arrived there to participate in the government function to celebrate her birth anniversary. So, their flags were also there. I also saw that. It did not mean anything.”
Those propagating the theory that the DMK was now friendly with the BJP also recalled the ‘Go Back Modi’ hashtags that trended during the earlier visits of Modi to the state and wondered why DMK supporters were silent now.
DMK MP M M Abdullah said, "At those times, the Union government implemented various schemes against the wishes of Tamil people and hence the ‘Go Back Modi’ call then. Now, he is coming only to open medical colleges, which will benefit our students and patients here."
About the social media campaign associating the DMK with the BJP, Abdullah said, “This campaign is run by some people with a view to running down the DMK and bringing it a bad name. Those people are well aware that the people of Tamil Nadu were opposed to the BJP and that making them believe the DMK is its ally could ruin the reputation of the party ruling the state now."
Some DMK supporters also pointed out that Naam Tamilar Katchi members had been resorting to the same technique even before the elections. A hush-hush campaign was carried out among the youth of the state that if they elected the DMK, it would support the BJP. Now, they have managed to find a pretext to revive that old baseless campaign, say DMK supporters.