By denying BJP, its ally, permission to carry out a month long yatra, the AIADMK is being assertive as parties gear up for assembly polls
The Covid-19 protocols may be the ostensible reason. But the Edappadi K Palaniswami government in Tamil Nadu denying ally the BJP permission for its month-long ‘Vetri Vel Yatra’ from Tiruttani to Tiruchendur, to whip up religious fervour and stir up anti-DMK sentiments, has political reasons too. News reports said that the police today arrested Bharatiya Janata Party’s state unit chief L Murugan as he started the yatra despite government permission.
In private, AIADMK leaders say the law and order situation was foremost on their minds when they denied the BJP permission for the ‘hail Muruga’ procession across Tamil Nadu, that too with a crucial assembly election slated for May 2021. But they also point to the BJP’s larger game plan — to strengthen its base in the Dravidian domain using Hindutva programmes to fight arch-rival and rationalist DMK. With the yatra aimed at consolidating Hindu votes, the AIADMK fears its ally may well chew into its own margins that include god believers.
In private, AIADMK leaders say the law and order situation was foremost on their minds when they denied the BJP permission for the ‘hail Muruga’ procession across Tamil Nadu, that too with a crucial assembly election slated for May 2021. But they also point to the BJP’s larger game plan — to strengthen its base in the Dravidian domain using Hindutva programmes to fight arch-rival and rationalist DMK. With the yatra aimed at consolidating Hindu votes, the AIADMK fears its ally may well chew into its own margins that include god believers.