For a party looking for issues to expand its base in the State, the release on Wednesday of the five Tamil Nadu fishermen, sentenced to death by a Colombo court on the charge of drug-pedalling, has come as a huge boost to the BJP.
Within minutes of the news coming in, BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in securing the release of the fishermen and assured the community of the Centre’s continued support.
However, the positive outcome seems sweeter for an entirely different reason. Party leaders said that unlike the past, when AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa used to take the lead in such matters, this time the BJP could claim the entire credit.
“After Ms. Jayalalithaa stepped down as Chief Minister, she has not been as vocal as she usually was. This unique circumstance will help us project the release of the fishermen as the victory of Mr. Modi,” said a senior leader. The letters written by Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam might not carry the same weight as those of Ms. Jayalalithaa, the leader observed.
Speaking to The Hindu , BJP organising secretary S. Mohanrajulu said the release of the fishermen should take the edge out of the accusation that the NDA was following policies identical to those of the UPA on the fishermen issue.
“Some parties, without understanding the ground reality, were levelling accusations against us. We are committed to the cause of Indian fishermen,” he said.
Even on Tuesday, the State BJP leadership took a delegation of fishermen to New Delhi, where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj assured it of a permanent solution to the fishing crisis in the Palk Strait.
In fact, the fishing community has been in the BJP’s radar as a potential constituency for a while.
As the Leader of the Opposition when the UPA was in power at the Centre, Ms. Swaraj visited Rameswaram, assuring the community of the BJP’s support when the Congress was being painted as an “anti-Tamil” organisation by a few parties in the State.
‘No political mileage’ “We are not making these efforts for political mileage. But we are sure the fishing community would recognise the role played by us,” Mr. Mohanrajulu said.
However, given the sensitive nature of the problem (stemming from the frequent attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy), the BJP feels it can gain the support of communities other than fishermen.
