Top national leaders attend 5th State Conference
V Shanmuganathan
More than two lakh people attended the day long Fifth State Conference of the BJP in the temple town Madurai on May 10, 2012. The massive turnout of people across the State has made the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP to become a formidable player in State politics.
In the conference the BJP focused to preserve the specialities of Tamil language, literature, culture, and its greatness. It organised exhibition, music and dance programmes in the venue.
The State President of BJP, Thiru. Pon. Radhakrishnan, called upon the workers to take up the challenge of being an alternative to the two major Dravidian parties. He hoped that the conference would be a turning point in the State politics.
Leaders of the State L Ganesan, CP Radhakrishanan, H Raja, and many more people attacked the rule of DMK for the failure to protect the interests of Tamilians in Sri Lanka. Bus fare revision and poor power supply management of the present government was also criticised.
The State unit of the medical cell, guided by Dr. Rajendiran and Dr V Aravinda Reddy organised, medical test for diabetes by eminent diabetologists for one lakh people.
BJP is not a mother-son party
All India BJP President Shri Nitin Gadkari came to the conference venue along with the All India organising secretary Shri Ram Lalji and V Satish.
He hoisted the party's flag at the venue of the conference and lighted the kuthuvilakku (Lamp) placed in front of the majestic Meenakshi Devi statue on dais.
Shri Nitin Gadkari, appreciated the State president and his team of office bearers for organising the huge gathering of people inside the conference hall and outside. Shri Nitin Gadkari, spoke in a thundered voice, and said that the ‘Bad Time’ for the Congress has started and BJP led alliance will capture power in the next Lok Sabha elections.
The country is suffering because of rising prices, growing unemployment, declining exports, corruption and poverty. This miserable situation is created by Congress led UPA, Shri Gadkari said.
He emphasised that the wrong economic policies and corruption is making people’s life miserable. BJP is working hard to set the situation right. The Vajpayee-led NDA government had envisaged a 12 per cent growth rate and ensured 9 per cent but this has decreased to 5.5 per cent under the UPA’s rule. Congress Party and its southern ally DMK did not do anything to prevent the killings of Tamilians in Sri Lanka during the ethnic strife and attacks on fishermen from Tamil Nadu.
Shri Gadkari said he had told in Colombo that addressing these issues was of primary importance for cordial relationship between the two countries.
He made a dig at the Congress and said that the BJP is not a mother-son or father-son party. Anyone can grow through the ranks to reach the top. Citing his own example, he said he had risen from being a grass roots worker to being party chief. He charged the Congress Party for trying to conspire to distance the BJP from minorities, especially the Muslims, by branding it as communal and anti-Muslim. Shri Gadkari said, the party is beyond any such divisions and recalled the candidature of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam being proposed for presidential poll earlier.
Total ban on conversions
Shri LK Advani, Smt. Sushma Swaraj and Shri Venkaiah Naidu came to the venue of conference in the afternoon session.
M Venkaiah Naidu charged the UPA for failing on all fronts including economy and security. He promised to spend 60 per cent of the budgetary allocations on agriculture, if voted to power. Shri Naidu said BJP will impose ‘total ban’ on religious conversions besides dealing with terrorism with an ‘iron hand’. He also said Ram Setu would be declared a national heritage.
Entire nation is concerned about the plight of Tamilians in Sri Lanka
Smt Sushma Swaraj spoke about her recent visit to Sri Lanka. The unity and integrity of Sri Lanka should be respected in the same way as that of India. She questioned, why, when Sri Lanka’s respected Tamil leader R Sampanthan says that he wants Tamilians to remain in a united Sri Lanka, certain leaders in Tamil Nadu wants to promote Tamil separatism in Sri Lanka. Her statement was an obvious attack on M Karunanidhi, the DMK leader who recently said that Sri Lanka should be divided to carve out a separate state called Tamil Eelam. She also criticised both the DMK and the AIADMK for not joining them in their fact finding mission to Sri Lanka and pointed out Sri Lanka made no restrictions whatsoever in meeting all people displaced by the war and the people told them all their grievances without any hindrance.
Huge gathering
Senior party leader L K Advani traced the evolution of the BJP party. He said from being one of the four recognised political parties after the 1952 general elections, it had grown to become strong alternative force to the Congress Party. He emphasised that India can become a super power only when there is a government known for good governance and that can promote welfare of the common man and ensure the security of the country in all respects. The BJP is the only party which aims to bring happiness in the life of common people and make Bharat a super power. First time, I am seeing such a mammoth gathering of audience, which has crossed six digits of numbers. I am happy that Tamil Nadu has started to respond and support BJP very well, he said.
Thus the conference generated hope and confidence in the minds of the large gathering of workers, admirers, supporters and the new entrants of the BJP.
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