Tamil Nadu Assembly polls | ‘BJP MLAs will number in double digit in the House’, says L. Murugan

Our main agenda is that our alliance should win and the DMK should not come to power, says Tamil Nadu BJP chief

BJP State president L. Murugan is confident that his party will have ‘double-digit’ MLAs in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after the election. Edited excerpts from an interview he gave The Hindu at the busy BJP campaign office at Koyambedu, Chennai, on Monday.

You said the BJP had winning prospects in 60 seats but have settled for 20 seats in the AIADMK-led alliance…

Our main agenda is that our alliance should win. The DMK should not come to power at any cost. Our alliance is very big. Other partners need to be given seats. Hence, we have taken these many seats.

How many do you expect to win?

We will win all 20. In the coming Assembly, we will have double-digit MLAs. The NDA, led by the AIADMK, will form the next government.

Will you seek a share in power?

After the election, we will have to see what our national leadership decides.

Did the BJP try to rope the AMMK into the alliance?

The BJP did not interfere; we won’t. The AIADMK is the leader of the alliance.

Who were you referring to as anti-nationals when you recently said this election was a fight between nationalists and anti-nationals?

The DMK, they are against Tamils [as well]. Almost 1.5 lakh Tamils were killed [in Sri Lanka] when the Congress was in power. The DMK supported them. Those behind ‘insulting’ the Kanda Sashti Kavacham had the backing of the DMK. Let me explain how they are anti-nationals. In this country whenever any growth-related works are taken up, they protest against them. They only brought in NEET [the DMK’s stand is NEET was not implemented then], but are now opposing it; the Congress and the DMK proposed fixing prices for farm produce; now the DMK is opposing the farm laws. The New Education Policy proposes teaching in mother tongue, but in schools run by DMK functionaries, Hindi and English are being taught as main languages. They have also destroyed the resources of the country — the 2G scam is a mega scam [all accused were acquitted by the trial court].

But most of them are policy issues. How does it make them ‘anti-nationals’?

They [the DMK] are against the development of the country. Take the COVID-19 crisis. The Centre and the Tamil Nadu government handled it efficiently, but the DMK is criticising the response.

Do you believe that the Devendrakula Velalar issue will work in your favour?

We did not take it up for votes. This was taken up in 2012 and [the then BJP president] Amit Shahji came in 2015 and we had the Madurai declaration. [Prime Minister] Modiji met their representatives. When I was the Scheduled Castes Commission Chairman, we took it up. But none of this was done for votes. It was to acknowledge and respect the community’s sentiments.

Won’t the exclusive reservation for Vanniyars lead to consolidation of other communities?

This is about social justice. It should reach everyone. The Vanniyars had put forth their demands to the government. The government considered them, and has given the reservation.

But the Bill was passed just before the Election Commission notified the poll schedule…

Not everything should be seen through the prism of election. For the past 40 years, they have been fighting for the reservation.

In the Lok Sabha election, Tamil Nadu saw an anti-Modi wave…

There was no anti-Modi wave. The negative propaganda was spread by the DMK and the Congress. There is only a pro-Modi wave here. People have now understood that none of that propaganda was true. It is due to this that so many people — fishermen, actors and youth — are joining the BJP.

Why did you seek a ban on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s campaign in Tamil Nadu?

We only complained to the EC about his holding a meeting at an educational institution and criticised the Prime Minister and the Centre there after the model code of conduct came into force.

Your party inducted a number of anti-social elements recently…

In our party, anyone can give a missed call and become a member. So they could have become a member using this procedure. We don’t give any work to those with a criminal background.

What do you have to say about the DMK’s seven agenda points announced by Mr. Stalin on Sunday?

Whatever they have announced is a copy of what the Central government is doing. They are talking about water — our government is doing that under the Jal Jeevan mission. We have given an AIIMS. SC/ST scholarship to the tune of ₹60,000 crore has been allotted. Farm laws have been passed.

How do you see the chances of Kamal Haasan’s party?

He will have no impact.

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