Tamil Nadu election: BJP charges AIADMK govt with obstructing party leaders headed for Modi rally in Vedaranyam

CHENNAI: BJP on Wednesday charged the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu with obstructing Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan and the party national general secretary Murlidhar Rao from flying to Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district to participate in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public rally despite clearance by the Special Security Group (SPG).
"The district collector and superintendent of police passed the buck on according permission for a helicopter to land either in Vedaranyam or Nagapattinam despite our communications 72 hours in advance," a functionary in the party's protocol section told TOI.
He said frantic calls to the collector did not elicit any response and when the SP finally responded it was to state that the helipad in Nagapattinam was not suitable for landing as it was in a damaged condition. "However, the staff of the helicopter company said the helipad in Nagapattinam was okay," he said.
Both the collector and the SP stubbornly stuck to their position even though the concerned inspector general said there was no problem.
Pon Radhakrishnan and Murlidhar Rao had to ultimately travel by road to Vedaranyam from Trichy.
According to the Blue Book which lays down security parameters, an aircraft not carrying the PM could land and take off from a place four hours before or after the VVIP visit, he explained. In this case, permission was sought in writing via fax 72 hours in advance even though such permission can be asked 48 hours before in normal course and 24 hours in a priority situation, he said.
"The collector and the SP have acted like AIADMK functionaries rather than independent officials," he said adding that a compliant has been sent to the Election Commission in this regard.