Shah-Tamilisai brief on-stage talk gives strength to speculation about ‘issues’ in Tamil Nadu BJP

Vibha Sharma

Chandigarh, June 13

Whether or not Home Minister Amit Shah publicly “schooled” former Governor and Tamil Nadu BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan at the oath-taking ceremony of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday, the brief on-stage incident has lent strength to speculation about “issues and infighting” in state BJP.

Ever since the brief video has gone viral, the opponents DMK and Congress have been taking the senior BJP leader to task over the “culture”and“attitude”towards women in his party.

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai was quoted as questioning whether it was “polite to put a prominent female politician of Tamil Nadu on stage and express harsh words or threatening body language? Does Amit Shah not know that everyone will see this?”

In the video, Shah can be seen talking to the former Telangana Governor, waging a finger.

Tamilisai, who resigned from the post of the Governor to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Tamil Nadu, earlier held the post of the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and was also BJP’s state president.

Interestingly, a senior state BJP leader who shared the video with a caption mentioning “strong admonishment” from Shah to Tamilisai and whether the reason for the “public warning” was her “unwarranted public comments”, later deleted the post.

However, as per local reports, all has not been well in the Tamil Nadu BJP unit since the Lok Sabha results. The BJP which contested with smaller parties in the state saw its vote bank cross the 11 per cent mark but the alliance drew a naught in the state that sends 39 MPs to the Lok Sabha. The DMK-Congress combine, on the other hand, swept Tamil Nadu and also the lone seat in the neighbouring UT, Puducherry.

Trying for a foothold in the southern state, the BJP fielded senior leaders in key constituencies, including Tamilisai and state party president K Annamalai.

Recently, Tamilisai also took a swipe at Annamalai for encouraging “anti-social elements”, following which his supporters like Tiruchy Suriyaa questioned if it was right for the former state chief (read Tamilisai) to make such a comment.

While BJP’s Tamil Nadu ally AIADMK had also walked out of NDA due to differences with Annamalai, before the formation of the Narendra Modi Government 3.0, speculation was rife that he could find a place in the Council of Ministers.