Bomb attack puts BJP in a tight spot
One person claiming to be the leader of a fringe Hindu outfit surrendered in Madurai claiming responsibility over the TV channel attack.
By ET Bureau | Updated:
By V PremShanker
CHENNAI: With right wing organisations in Tamil Nadu coming under the spotlight in the context of protests against authors and attack on a private television channel, the state unit of the BJP is in an unenviable position.
The attack on the TV channel early on Thursday saw spontaneous response from the journalistic community with gatherings condemning the attack in the city. The incident took place around 3 am when some persons on bikes hurled a crude bomb inside the premises of the TV channel’s office. While no one was hurt in the incident, there were loud protests from journalists and political parties were quick to condemn it.
One person claiming to be the leader of a fringe Hindu outfit surrendered in Madurai claiming responsibility over the TV channel attack. Soon after that another bunch of four persons were arrested and it was becoming clear that the attack was done by fringe political elements.
The incident comes days after a Hindu organisation - Hindu Munnani staged a protest outside the office of the private television channel demanding the banning of a women’s day show. The Hindu Munnani protest (last Sunday) turned ugly after a cameraperson working with the TV channel was beaten up by the protesters. At least 10 persons belonging to Hindu Munnani were arrested for the attack on the camera person.
While claiming that they had nothing to do with the crude bomb attack, Hindu Munnani leaders continue to say that they would not allow anti-hindu books to be published or programmes to be aired. ``We will continue to protest if our religion is shown in poor light, whether it is a book like Madhoru Baghan of Perumal Murugan or a television programme. They cannot target our religion because we are soft targets,’’ G Karthikeyan, state vice president of Hindu Munnani.
While state BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan condemned the attack on the television channel on Thursday, the National Secretary of the BJP said that the private channel has been backed by views of anti-nationals, atheists and communists.
Political observers think that such developments are only impeding any growth prospect of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. ``This is going to create a severe dent in the BJP’s image in Tamil Nadu. They may distance themselves from the issues being raised by organisations like the Hindu Munani. But people know that all this is happening with the blessings of the Sangh. Many BJP leaders went to the Central prison in Chennai’s outskirts to express their support to the members of Hindu Munnani who were arrested during the protests against the media house. This clearly shows that whatever these right wing organisations are doing has the blessings of the BJP. Moreover radical organisations like the Hindu Munnani are only going to strike more often because they have tasted blood in the case of Perumal Murugan where the author had to flee his home town and in the case of the TV channel which did not air the controversial show.’’ said senior Journalist R Mani.
There is another take on BJP’s indifference to the various protests and acts of violence being undertaken by fringe hindu outfits in Tamil Nadu.
CHENNAI: With right wing organisations in Tamil Nadu coming under the spotlight in the context of protests against authors and attack on a private television channel, the state unit of the BJP is in an unenviable position.
The attack on the TV channel early on Thursday saw spontaneous response from the journalistic community with gatherings condemning the attack in the city. The incident took place around 3 am when some persons on bikes hurled a crude bomb inside the premises of the TV channel’s office. While no one was hurt in the incident, there were loud protests from journalists and political parties were quick to condemn it.
One person claiming to be the leader of a fringe Hindu outfit surrendered in Madurai claiming responsibility over the TV channel attack. Soon after that another bunch of four persons were arrested and it was becoming clear that the attack was done by fringe political elements.
The incident comes days after a Hindu organisation - Hindu Munnani staged a protest outside the office of the private television channel demanding the banning of a women’s day show. The Hindu Munnani protest (last Sunday) turned ugly after a cameraperson working with the TV channel was beaten up by the protesters. At least 10 persons belonging to Hindu Munnani were arrested for the attack on the camera person.
While claiming that they had nothing to do with the crude bomb attack, Hindu Munnani leaders continue to say that they would not allow anti-hindu books to be published or programmes to be aired. ``We will continue to protest if our religion is shown in poor light, whether it is a book like Madhoru Baghan of Perumal Murugan or a television programme. They cannot target our religion because we are soft targets,’’ G Karthikeyan, state vice president of Hindu Munnani.
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And when asked if these protests were not posing a challenge to the BJP which is trying to project itself as the alternative to the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu, Karthikeyan said ``We are not worried about the BJP when it comes to issues like this. From 1991 we have been protesting any issue that goes against the Hindus and we will continue to do so. Our aim is only to protect the Hindu religion.’’While state BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan condemned the attack on the television channel on Thursday, the National Secretary of the BJP said that the private channel has been backed by views of anti-nationals, atheists and communists.
Political observers think that such developments are only impeding any growth prospect of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. ``This is going to create a severe dent in the BJP’s image in Tamil Nadu. They may distance themselves from the issues being raised by organisations like the Hindu Munani. But people know that all this is happening with the blessings of the Sangh. Many BJP leaders went to the Central prison in Chennai’s outskirts to express their support to the members of Hindu Munnani who were arrested during the protests against the media house. This clearly shows that whatever these right wing organisations are doing has the blessings of the BJP. Moreover radical organisations like the Hindu Munnani are only going to strike more often because they have tasted blood in the case of Perumal Murugan where the author had to flee his home town and in the case of the TV channel which did not air the controversial show.’’ said senior Journalist R Mani.
There is another take on BJP’s indifference to the various protests and acts of violence being undertaken by fringe hindu outfits in Tamil Nadu.
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C Lakshmanan of the Madras Institute for developmental studies said, ``the party is clearly trying to align with the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu with the hope that in a situation where the Jayalalithaa is not in active command of the party, the BJP will want to make use of the AIADMK’s clout.’’Download
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