Today (15th March): Despite initial denial by the police, the Madras High Court has approved Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Coimbatore rally.
Chennai: Today (15th March): The Madras High Court has issued an order directing the Tamil Nadu Police to allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 4 km roadshow in Coimbatore on Monday, albeit subject to certain conditions.
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Earlier on Friday morning, the police declined permission, citing concerns regarding law and order and the of a public safety. They maintained that similar refusals were extended to other political parties, emphasizing the absence of bias.
The court emphasized that the state’s role in ensuring security for rallies or events addressing the Prime Minister, who is safeguarded by the Special Protection Group, is minimal. However, the police reiterated their commitment to “equal responsibility” in this regard.
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The Prime Minister started campaigning in the southern states over the weekend, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the dates for which are scheduled to be announced at 3 pm on Saturday.
Coimbatore, where the BJP holds a comparatively stronger presence, has a history of communally sensitive incidents and law and order challenges, notably the series of bomb blasts in 1998 targeting senior BJP leader LK Advani, resulting in the loss of nearly 60 lives.
During his fifth visit to Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister criticised the ruling DMK and its allies, including the Congress, accusing them of involvement in various scandals and positioning himself as a harbinger of development.
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Despite its minimal presence in Tamil Nadu, the BJP aims to win the upcoming election, setting a target of 370 seats. The party secured less than three percent of the vote share in the previous general election and is currently without a major ally following the contentious split with the AIADMK. Despite this, the Prime Minister has continued efforts to engage with former allies, recently speaking about AIADMK icon and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
However, the AIADMK remains firm in its decision to contest Tamil Nadu’s 39 Lok Sabha seats independently, signaling a strained relationship with the BJP. The alliance between the two parties has yielded unfavorable outcomes for the state party, consistently losing ground to its rival, the DMK, in recent major polls.
The BJP has also been reaching out to smaller Tamil parties, including S Ramadoss’ PMK and DMDK, led by the late actor-politician Vijaykanth. These efforts have seen some success, such as the defection of S Vijayadharani, the MLA from Vilavancode in Kanyakumari district, to the saffron party.
