Can Modi's Trichy rally change
Tamil Nadu's political scenario?
The Bharatiya Janata Party's prime
ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi's rally next Thursday
at Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) will surely change
the political scenario in Tamil Nadu, party
leaders say.
"Modi's visit to Tamil Nadu is long-pending.
We decided on Trichy (around 350 km from
here) as it is in the centre of the state and
because of the absence of big grounds in
other places," Pon Radhakrishnan, president
of the BJP's state unit, told IANS.
According to him, more than 200,000 people
are expected to attend the rally.
To a query on the rally's political significance
and the political benefits for the BJP,
Radhakrishnan said: "We are sure the
political scenario will change in the state
after Modi's rally. What the change would be
is hard to guess, but there will be a change."
When asked whether the rally would nudge
parties like the DMDK, MDMK and PMK
towards the BJP for an alliance to fight the
2014 general elections, he said: "That is too
early to tell."
H. Raja, BJP's national executive member
and vice president of the Tamil Nadu unit,
was however a bit more forthcoming on the
matter.
"Political rallies in general showcase a
party's strength to potential allies. And in a
way, Modi's rally will showcase the BJP's
strength and the people's mood," Raja told
IANS.
BJP leaders and cadres expect the rally to
nudge parties like the DMDK, PMK and
MDMK to look at them for an electoral
alliance for the general elections.
L. Ganesan, the BJP's senior leader from the
state, has said the party would welcome the
DMDK, MDMK and others for an alliance.
The BJP is exploring a possible three- or
four-party alliance that includes actor-
turned-politician A. Vijayakant-promoted
DMDK to fight the Lok Sabha elections, party
officials in Chennai said.
The party may also rope in the PMK and look
at the MDMK.
"Feelers have been sent by the DMDK to the
party leadership for a possible alliance to
fight the general elections. In a way, this
makes sense for both the parties," a senior
BJP leader, not willing to be named, had
erlier told IANS.
Explaining the rationale of aligning with the
DMDK, he said that in Vijayakant, the people
of Tamil Nadu see someone willing to take
on the two major Dravidian parties - the
AIADMK and the DMK.
The DMDK has a proven vote share of
around 10 per cent. Further, there is an
undercurrent in the state in Modi's favour.
Meanwhile, Modi will be addressing the
Trichy rally from the dais designed like
Delhi's Red Fort, as he did at his rally in
Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh.
"The theme is (Trichy's) Rock Fort to Red
Fort," K.T.Raghavan, a member of the BJP's
Tamil Nadu media panel, told IANS.
Party leaders and cadres are upbeat as even
non-BJP members from different walks of
life have expressed their willingness to attend
the Trichy rally to hear Modi.
It is learnt a large number of satellite
channels have shown interest in telecasting
the rally. Surely the party has come a long
way when there was only one Tamil channel
that was willing to telecast the BJP leader's
rally here some years ago.
According to party members, Modi's
Hyderabad rally was telecast live by around
115 TV channels - and that number may be
exceeded at Trichy.
Interestingly the entry fee for the Trichy rally
is Rs.10 against Rs.5 charged in Hyderabad.
But then, Modi's brand equity has gone up
between Hyderabad and Trichy.
At Hyderabad he was the party's election
campaign chief but at Trichy, he will be the
BJP's prime ministerial candidate, a BJP
member quipped.
According to Raja, the party had decided that
Modi would address around 100 rallies by
December-end. There will be more Modi
rallies across the nation in the coming days.