The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : BJP will strive to become a key player in State: Rudy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

BJP will strive to become a key player in State: Rudy

Special Correspondent

"People are yearning for a change" "The current political situation in the State is conducive for national parties such as the BJP to make their presence felt"

CHENNAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party will work out a strategy to ensure that it emerges as a key player in Tamil Nadu, party general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said here on Thursday.

The BJP national executive member said the party was aware of its strength in the State. It would work hard to strengthen its roots. The current political situation in the State was conducive for national parties such as the BJP to make their presence felt.

During his tour of interior villages, he found that the conditions were similar to those that prevailed in Bihar before the Assembly elections. People in remote areas were fed up with the Dravidian parties and yearning for a change. The phase of domination by the DMK and the AIADMK was over. In the absence of any alternative to these parties, the BJP could fill the void.

Reiterating the party's stand to go it alone in the coming Assembly elections, Mr. Rudy said the State executive meeting in the first week of March would review the political situation and take a final decision.

He said as far as the BJP was concerned, power was not the end of politics. It was only a means to serve the people. By forming a coalition government in Karnataka along with Janata Dal (Secular), the party had come closer to Tamil Nadu. He claimed that the day was not far off when the party would become a key player in Tamil Nadu politics.

Criticising the AIADMK Government, he said it was not consistent in its actions. It was allegedly using public money for furthering its political interest. The party would take up the issue with the Election Commission.

Alleging that both the AIADMK and the DMK had done nothing for the people of Tamil Nadu, the BJP leader said the "ongoing tussle" between the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre and the Democratic Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu was affecting the State. Investors were going away from Tamil Nadu. Even with the DMK as a major partner in the UPA Government, the interests of Tamil Nadu were not being taken care of.

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