Wilting lotus in cotton city

In Tamil Nadu, the BJP appears to have little chances of shaping into a political power. Like the Congress, it will continue to bank on an a...

In Tamil Nadu, the BJP appears to have little chances of shaping into a political power. Like the Congress, it will continue to bank on an alliance with Dravidian parties to win a handful of Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The reason for the BJP’s limitations are many. Its state unit has failed miserably to extend its mass base in Coimbatore where the party had an opportunity to build on its cadre base after serial blasts rocked the city in February 1998. After five years the party’s base has split and the gulf between its leaders and public widened.

Even a decade ago, when the BJP had negligible presence in the western region, Hinduvta organisations such as the RSS and Hindu Munnani had their roots in many pockets.

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Then on February 14, 1998, when LK Advani was scheduled to address a campaign meeting, a series of blasts rocked the cotton city. It turned the tide in the favour of the BJP. In the 1998 elections, C P Radhakrishnan won by the highest margin in the state. The blasts echoed in the neighbouring Nilgiris consituency also. Master Mathan who had polled a mere 32,185 votes as a BJP candidate in 1996, polled over 3.22 lakh votes to win the seat by a margin of over 60,000 votes in 1998.

There was a new find enthusiasm among the Hinduvta supporters in the region. But the victory was shortlived as election to Parliament was announced the next year itself. Election results showed BJP’s dwindling popularity. C P Radhakrishnan could only win by 50,000 votes and Master Mathan by 25,000. Both were able to win for a second successive time thanks to a ‘‘split’’ Opposition and ‘‘hyped up’’ Kargil victory.

That was the last time BJP candidates won in the region. In the Assembly elections, the BJP fielded two candidates, Nanjappan and Lalitha Kumaramangalam, both of whom lost.

In fact, Lalitha, from the illustrious Kumaramangalam family, could not win from Tirupur constituency, the hometown of the (present) State BJP president C P Radhakrishnan. In the Mayoral elections, VHP state president Mayilsamy, an advocate, contested on a BJP ticket but was defeated by AIADMK’s T Malaravan, who began his life as a flower vendor.

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The Hindu Munnani in the region split. Outfits like Hindu Makkal Katchi, Siva Sena and Anuman Sena, all splinter groups, comprising mostly the field workers, came into being, eroding the cadre base of BJP.

The Sangh Parivar and RSS leaders in the region are a dissatisfied lot. ‘‘C P Radhakrishnan, the state BJP president, shows scant respect to us,’’ say local RSS leaders. In fact, the RSS held a secret meeting in the city when RSS chief Sudarshan was here to inaugurate the winter camp, and has decided to vote against CPR, say intelligence sources. In fact, Shiv Sena is fielding Mookambikai Mani, formerly a Hindu Munnani leader and who has a following in goldsmith community, as its candidate this election.

Even within the BJP many complain that CPR is making the party his family affair. Others in the party acknowledge that CPR has little charisma. CPR’s rath yatra got scant notice. Also the BJP can’t take advantage of any communal divide simply because it has now ceased to exist in the city. Crowds at public meetings of Narendra Modi and L K Advani were a lot smaller than expected. And Advani’s public meeting during his recent Bharat Uday yatra was not exactly mobbed.