With an eye on the upcoming Assembly election, the State BJP has showered film personalities and defectors who joined the party in recent times with plum posts — much to the discontent of long-term functionaries.
Actor and former Union Minister, Napoleon, who quit the DMK following the unceremonious exit of M.K. Alagiri in March 2014, was appointed vice president. Other leaders in the same category such as S.R. Sekar, M. Chakravarty and Vanathi Srinivasan are all members who have put in decades of work in the organisation.
In fact, a hitherto non-existent post of a patron to the arts wing has been created to accommodate Gangai Amaran, the music director and brother of music maestro Ilayaraja. Actors Kutty Padmini and Gayathri Raguram have also been elevated in the organisation. The move has raised eyebrows in the BJP, where putting in considerable number of years to gain even a small post was the norm some years ago.
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A senior leader said that experience, which in turn meant commitment to the ideology the party subscribed to, was an essential element to fetch even a minor role. “But this has slowly changed over the years. For an ideologically-driven political party, such a compromise is certainly a weakness and puts us in the same category as the Dravidian parties,” the leader rued. However, the BJP sources said the move was strategic to boost the party’s campaign for the elections since cinema stars, traditionally draw more attention than others. “Also, a person of the stature of Napoleon, who has been a former Union Minister, cannot be wooed without the offer of a substantial post. If we stop giving posts to newcomers, nobody will come,” another senior leader said.
Others who were given party posts on Thursday include former DMK MLA S.K. Vedaratinam and former AIADMK MP K. Malaisamy.