Chennai: Chennai Super Kings (CSK): fans are rejoicing as their team secured a historic fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) championship. However, political nuances have crept into the celebration after K Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu BJP president, claimed that it was a "BJP karyakarta" (party worker) who played the winning shot for the MS Dhoni-led team. Annamalai was referring to the heroic performance of CSK all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the final over, which propelled the team to a thrilling five-wicket victory against the Gujarat Titans in the 16th edition of the IPL.

On May 29, in a match that extended into the early hours of May 30 due to rain interruptions, CSK needed 13 runs in the final over to secure the title. With Jadeja at the crease, the equation came down to 10 runs needed from 2 balls. The Rajkot-born all-rounder responded with a six and a four off the next two deliveries, ensuring CSK's triumph and their claim to the coveted IPL trophy once again.

While fans took to social media to celebrate the victory, supporters of Tamil Nadu's ruling party, DMK, seized the opportunity to draw political parallels, labeling CSK's win as a triumph of the "Dravidian model" over the "Gujarat model." When questioned by a News 18 anchor about this perspective, Annamalai asserted that it was a BJP party worker who hit the winning shot for CSK.

Referring to Jadeja, Annamalai stated, "Jadeja is a BJP karyakarta, and he is from Gujarat. His wife is a BJP MLA. I am also proud as a Tamilian. While there were more Tamil people in the Gujarat Titans team than in CSK, we celebrate that fact as well."

“Not a single Tamilian played for CSK, but we still celebrate CSK because of MS Dhoni. We are proud that the winning run was scored by a BJP karyakarta," he added.

Although it is unclear whether Jadeja is officially affiliated with the BJP, there have been instances in the past where the cricketer has expressed his support for India's ruling party. In the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, Jadeja's wife, Rivaba Jadeja, contested and won from the Jamnagar North constituency on a BJP ticket.

Rivaba Jadeja formally joined the BJP in 2019, and the Indian cricketer himself tweeted his support for the party during that time, stating, "I support BJP."

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Jaipur, Feb 23 (PTI): Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena on Sunday once again claimed that his phone is still being tapped and he is under surveillance.

"I am still saying my phone is being tapped and the CID is following me," he said while speaking at an event in Sanchore.

The claim comes days after Minister of State (MoS) for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham denied the phone tapping allegations in the Rajasthan Assembly, stating Meena's phone was not tapped.

"I received a notice (from the party). I told them that when I used to protest in the past, the officers during the previous government would monitor me. They would track where I was going, what I was doing and which movement I was participating in. They used to tap my phone. I have always said that my phone is being tapped and there is a CID following me," Meena said.

"The same officers are still in their positions. Those who used to tap my phone and follow me are still there. I never paid attention to it but now it should stop," he added.

Meena reiterated that "my phone is still being tapped" and the "CID is still following me".

"Yes, I made a mistake. I should have raised the issue on the right platform of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but sometimes the situation gets tangled. So, I spoke up," he said.

Meena further said there were scams in the previous government.

"A huge scam took place in Jal Jeevan Mission. Work was given without any tender. I raised the issue and some engineers were suspended, some officers were arrested and a contractor was also arrested," he added.

The opposition Congress had raised the issue of phone tapping. Responding to it, Bedham had last week denied the allegations.

Responding to Meena's fresh statement, BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj said the government has already cleared in the assembly that no phone of any elected representative, including Kirodi Meena, was being tapped.