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Denied permission to BJP’s Vetrivel Yatra because of Covid-19, Tamil Nadu govt tells HC
The BJP’s yatra aims to cover TN, starting from Tiruttani and concluding in Thiruchendur, including nine temples of chief Tamil deity Lord Murugan in the party’s attempt to consolidate its Hindu vote bank ahead of the assembly polls, which are slated to be held in April-May next year
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Tamil Nadu (TN) unit received a setback on Thursday, when the state government informed the Madras high court (HC) that it denied permission for the party’s month-long “Vetrivel Yatra” (Victorious Spear Yatra) on grounds of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in the southern state.
However, BJP leaders from TN told HT that they would hold the yatra as planned from Friday.
The BJP’s yatra aims to cover TN, starting from Tiruttani and concluding in Thiruchendur, including nine temples of chief Tamil deity Lord Murugan in the party’s attempt to consolidate its Hindu vote bank ahead of the assembly polls, which are slated to be held in April-May next year.
The BJP leaders were also in touch with the state government, led by its ally All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), to ensure that yatra be allowed to be held but police permission wasn’t granted.
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Talks were in progress, L Murugan, president of BJP’s TN unit told HT. He exuded confidence of holding the event and said in Tamil, “Vel thulli gudhikum,” which loosely translates to the spear would enthusiastically leap. Lord Murugan’s weapon is vel or spear.
Earlier on Thursday, the Madras HC disposed of two public interest litigations (PIL) that were filed to challenge the state government’s decision.
TN advocate-general (A-G) Vijay Narayan citied a state government order that prohibited religious, political and social gatherings till November 15 because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
“It is the responsibility of our government to safeguard the public from the Covid-19 pandemic. It is unnecessary to hold the yatra amid the contagion,” said D Jayakumar, state minister for fisheries and a spokesperson of the ruling AIADMK.
“The BJP needs to call off the event as the public’s well-being is of utmost priority. The move will augur well for the party (BJP),” he added.
The AIADMK had criticised the BJP for using the ruling party’s founder MG Ramachandran’s photograph in its promotional campaign for the yatra.
Congress member of Parliament (MP) Karti Chidambaram tweeted that the refusal to allow the yatra, “exposes its (AIADMK’s) discomfort”. He cited that the AIADMK considers the BJP a big nuisance and liability. “The yatra has nothing to do with spirituality,” alleged Chidambaram, who had defeated BJP’s H Raja in Sivaganga in last year’s parliamentary polls.
RS Bharathi, organising secretary, DMK, said his party did not want to comment on the issue. “It is between the court and the BJP,” he said.
However, the DMK’s ally, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, has been vocal above the alleged divisive yatra.
Ravikumar, a VCK MP, upheld the HC order and tweeted that it was a victory for secularism.
The VCK had urged the TN Police to deny permission for the yatra, citing concern over communal unrest.
The timing of the yatra that is slated to end on December 6 – the 28th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya -- was also questioned.
Murugan and several party leaders alleged that the opposition was running scared because the BJP was gaining ground in the state ahead of next year’s assembly polls.
KS Narendiran, vice-president, state BJP, who had drawn up the route map of the yatra, had told HT that the event would be a “turning point for the party in TN”.
He said: “We will safeguard the interests of Lord Murugan’s devotees and Hindus in the state.”
The BJP has been battling the perception of a party, which is an outsider to TN politics. The party also wanted to expose an “anti-Hindu and an anti-God narrative” in the state.
A row had broken out after the BJP went against a YouTube channel, Karuppar Kootam, which had ridiculed Kandha Sashti Kavasam, a devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Murugan.
The makers of the video were arrested. The BJP had accused the DMK of backing the arrested accused, but the latter denied the claim/
TN did not warm up to the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre in the successive 2014 and 2019 parliamentary polls.
In 2019, the BJP-AIADMK alliance was trounced by the rival DMK as the latter swept the Lok Sabha polls by winning 37 seats from TN.
In the 2017 RK Nagar bypoll, which had fallen vacant following the death of former chief minister Jayalalithaa’s demise, BJP’s Karu Nagarajan had polled 1,417 votes, which was less than none of the above (NOTA) (2,372), or scratch vote.
