Three-term Tamil Nadu Congress MLA joins BJP
New Delhi / Chennai, Feb 24: S Vijayadharani, a Congress MLA from Tamil Nadu for three consecutive terms, joined the BJP on Saturday, asserting that the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very important for the country.
The development is a shot in the arm for the BJP in the southern state where it has struggled to gain ground.
Vijayadharani is the MLA from Vilavancode, which is part of the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat, a constituency the BJP has won in the past.
She posted on X her letter of resignation from the Congress before joining the BJP.
She joined the party in the national capital in the presence of Union Minister L Murugan and the party's national secretary Arvind Menon, who is the poll in-charge for Tamil Nadu.
Vijayadharani lauded the central government for its various good schemes and lamented that some of those are not being implemented in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK-Congress alliance is in power.
A lot of great things are happening to the country, she said, praising the BJP's focus on women.
Murugan said people from different sections of society are coming forward to join the BJP to strengthen Modi's hand.
The BJP was unable to win any of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu in the 2019 general elections.
Vijayadharani, who is also a successful lawyer, is the first sitting MLA to join the BJP.
Prior to the 2021 Assembly election, former state Minister from the AIADMK Nainar Nagendra joined the saffron party from the southern district of Tirunelveli and he is currently the party floor leader.
The Kanyakumari district from where she hails is represented by senior BJP leader M R Gandhi from Nagercoil in the Assembly House. She joins the increasing list of legislators from the district which sent C Velayutham Pillai from the Padmanabhapuram constituency to the Assembly for the first time in 1996.
The political career of Vijayadharani, an intense debater in TV channels, spans over three decades and she is known for her sense of commitment to public service and a strong focus on welfare of the marginalised.
"Her presence will be advantageous to the BJP as she has established for herself a clean image championing the cause of the people especially the downtrodden," a senior BJP leader said.
He confirmed that she was in touch with the senior leaders in the party before taking the final plunge to embrace the BJP.
Her conspicuous absence in the Assembly during the brief Budget session which concluded on February 22, raised eyebrows and sparked rumours of her joining the BJP. But, the new TNCC chief Selvaperunthagai denied that she was quitting the Congress.
She was first elected from the Vilavancode assembly constituency in 2011 and romped home the winner in 2016 and 2021 elections. Before joining the BJP, the 54-year-old leader was the general secretary of AICC and chief whip of the Congress Legislative Party in the Assembly.
As a legislator she has been voicing for total prohibition and was instrumental in ensuring the closure of some liquor shops in her constituency. This advocate for women empowerment has been batting for 50 percent reservation for women in civic polls.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu Congress MLA Vijayadharani joins BJP, in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/eTnkJx2oJe
— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024
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BJP intends to incite violence by playing DJ in UP elections: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday claimed that the "BJP intends to play DJs at full volume" during their campaign in Uttar Pradesh elections to deliberately "spread hatred and incite violence" in the state.
Speaking to reporters at the party office in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav said, "This time, the elections will be contested in Uttar Pradesh through the DJs. They intend to use DJs extensively to spread hatred and incite violence. If objectionable songs are played, there will naturally be a response from the opposing side. This appears to be yet another new conspiracy of the BJP. We have already warned the public about this."
The assembly elections are due early next year in the state.
He also referred to the recent deaths of as many as 140 chickens at a farm due to loud music from a wedding procession in Sultanpur district, with police registering a case against the DJ in this connection.
"Chickens are losing their lives due to the sound of a DJ. In fact, if a person with a weak heart were to walk past a DJ, they too could find themselves in a problem. The sound waves are so strong," Yadav said.
Referring to the cell broadcast alert system launched on Saturday, the SP chief said, "The mobile phone was switched off. The ringer was off. Yet, an alert will still appear on the device. Just think, what exactly is this preparation for? The entire BJP contests elections by creating fear, by intimidating you."
Mobile phones across the country went abuzz after Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched the cell broadcast alert system on Saturday, which will warn citizens about emergency and natural disasters in their area.
Comparing the BJP with 'Soan Papdi' (a popular sweet), Yadav said, "The BJP is a 'Soan Papdi' made of lies. They simply stack one layer of falsehood upon another. Propaganda constitutes the BJP's targeted campaign strategy. They contest elections by instilling fear in the public.
The BJP has failed to curb both inflation and corruption. Instead, they allowed their own associates to engage in profiteering, a practice that has driven both inflation and corruption to unprecedented levels." Yadav stated.
He said that the rising prices of petrol, diesel, and cooking gas inevitably drive up the cost of everything, from food and daily essentials to transportation. The common people have been "devastated by the BJP's misguided policies".
He also claimed that the government's fee structure is such that children from poor families cannot afford to study.
"It was for this very reason that 'Netaji' (Mulayam Singh Yadav) launched the 'Kanya Vidyadhan Yojana' to ensure that daughters from underprivileged families could pursue their education, advance in life, and achieve success. The promise we made regarding free education for daughters --- from KG to PG is a promise we will fulfil and deliver upon," he said.
He added that the Women's Reservation Bill has been passed by Parliament and enacted into law. However, the BJP is currently engaging in false propaganda regarding this legislation. The BJP's intentions concerning women's reservation have never been transparent. They are running a deceptive campaign specifically designed to mislead both the general public and women.
Yadav claimed that under the BJP government, all previous records regarding corruption and dishonesty have been shattered.
"The public is being fleeced under the pretext of installing 'smart meters. ' The implementation of smart meters has become a vehicle for large-scale fraud. If such dishonesty is possible with smart meters, how can Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) be considered secure? Why would it not be possible to manipulate EVMs as well?" he said.
The SP chief also said that the BJP government has completely ruined the state's education, healthcare, and law and order systems. This government has shut down 21,000 primary schools. In over 41,000 primary schools, not a single admission has been recorded. In Gorakhpur, thousands of teaching positions have been abolished.
Under the BJP government, water tanks being constructed under the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' are continuously collapsing due to corruption. These tanks are "unable to bear the weight of the BJP's corruption". The pipeline of this corruption, involving the water tanks, likely extends all the way to Kalidas Marg, he said, and expressed his gratitude to the Army officials and congratulated them for saving the lives of children during the incident involving the water tank in Siddharthnagar district.
To a question on World Press Freedom Day, where India ranked at the 157th spot, Akhilesh Yadav, in a lighter vein, said, "We will run a scheme -- give 'cash' less' laptop bags. But here the 'less' should be understood in Hindi. We will give a filled laptop bag to you."
On this occasion, Yadav also distributed laptops to meritorious students who had passed class 10th and class 12th examinations with high marks.
The former chief minister also said, "The Samajwadi Party launched the laptop distribution scheme precisely to bridge the digital divide existing between the pre- and post-digital eras."
