After last December’s success in the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP is roping in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Karnataka MP Tejasvi Surya for the Assembly election campaign in Tamil Nadu.
The presence of Adityanath and Surya in the Muslim dominated Hyderabad city had led to sharp political polarisation among the electorate had yielded rich dividends for the BJP.
Now with the national party trying to make inroads into Tamil Nadu, the two leaders have been named among the star campaigners along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda, Union Minister Smriti Irani among others.
“Surya recently campaigned in Salem in Western Tamil Nadu. He was able to connect with the youth. His remarks that ‘if Tamil has to survive, Hindutva has to win’ went viral and became a debating point. So we want him more on the field,” said a Tamil Nadu BJP leader.
As for Adityanath the plan is to project him as a Hindutva icon. “There are people who hate him but his ability to galvanize Hindus is strong,” said the leader.
Smriti Irani could be used to campaign in Hindi speaking areas of Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. However, the party also triggered a controversy by including former DMK and AIADMK functionary and actor Radha Ravi, an accused in the ‘Me Too movement, in the list of star speakers.
“A man named in the MeToo movement; President of the Dubbing Union that banned me from working in Tamil films, is campaigning for the BJP in Tamilnadu. Awesome, no :),” tweeted playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada.
Source: Free Press Journal
