BJP has put fear of God in DMK: CT Ravi

The BJP has claimed credit for nudging the DMK towards “respecting people's sentiments” towards Hindu religious traditions from its earlier atheist stand. "This is the effect of our vetri vel yatra (spear march). We have set the agenda for the DMK," CT Ravi, BJP national general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu, told ET. "We have put the fear of god in the DMK. All these days they were hurling abuses at gods."

The DMK, led by its president MK Stalin, has drawn attention by veering towards a soft Hindutva as the party manifesto for the April 6 Assembly polls talks of spending about Rs 1,000 crore for renovating temples and funding people for their religious tours.

Double-digit

The BJP, which is contesting in 20 seats in Tamil Nadu, is aiming for at least 10 seats.

"The choice of our seats are scattered across the state. We have not left out any region," Ravi said, adding that clarity on the battle lines would emerge on March 22, the last day for the withdrawal of nominations. “We have fielded noted personalities including state BJP president L Murugan, national women's wing president Vasanthi Srinivasan, actor Khushbu Sundar and former IPS officer K Annamalai.”

The BJP wants to grow into a mass party in Tamil Nadu by the next Lok Sabha polls from being a cadre-based party, Ravi said, dismissing talks of the party being alien to the state’s culture. "We are a pan-India party, and PM Narendra Modi is popular across India," the BJP leader said.

Modi, he said, gave Tamil Nadu projects worth about Rs 6,10,000 crore across sectors including highways, metro, and smart cities. The state accounts for the highest beneficiaries under the Mudra scheme. While the UPA banned Jallikattu, the state’s popular culture sport, it was the Prime Minister who helped revive it, Ravi said.

He credited the duo of chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam for “saving both the government and the AIADMK” after many had predicted the collapse of the regime and doom for the party after Jayalalithaa’s death.

No going back
There is no question of the BJP going back on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and the party will persuade the AIADMK not to insist on a review, Ravi said.

Referring to the AIADMK manifesto in which it said the party would urge the union government to reverse the law if elected, the BJP leader said the alliance partner might have taken such a stand “either under pressure from some quarters or for want of full information”. “We will convince them. The purpose of the law is to give citizenship to religious minorities in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, not to take away anyone's citizenship. We will convince the AIADMK,” he said.