CHENNAI: Highlighting the murder of BSP state president K Armstrong, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President K Annamalai stated on Saturday that the safety of common citizens is not assured under the DMK rule.
“Yesterday, a party leader was hacked to death. There is no guarantee for a common man’s life in this DMK-led state government,” Annamalai said at the BJP’s state executive committee meeting. The Tamil Nadu Chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was hacked to death by a mob of unidentified men near his residence in Perambur, Chennai.
The Tamil Nadu BJP chief also attacked the MK Stalin-led DMK government over the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy that killed 65 people.
“Illicit liquor is flowing like a river, and nobody has the guts to tell, speak, and raise a voice against it. If they speak and raise voices, they have a life threat,” Annamalai said. The Tamil Nadu BJP executive committee meeting is still underway. The meeting, also attended by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, assumes significance as it is the first major meeting of the party in the state after the Lok Sabha election results were declared on June 4.
The BJP’s electoral performance in the state in the 2024 general election was lower than the party’s expectations. Though the party could increase its vote share, it did not win any seats.
In the 2024 election, the BJP, by contesting in 23 Lok Sabha constituencies, secured nearly 11.1 per cent of the votes in the state, up from the 3.6 per cent it got in the 2019 general election.
AIADMK, the principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, was the BJP’s ally, but just months into the election, the former snapped the alliance, accusing Annamalai of abusing the Dravidian political icons.
There were also reports of internal bickering in the state unit of the BJP, with some leaders blaming Annamalai for the results.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and BJP leader L Murugan condemned the killing of Armstrong. He said the DMK government has failed to maintain law and order in the state.
In a conversation with ANI, Murugan said, “A National Party’s state president was unable to survive because of the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu. The DMK government has totally failed to maintain law and order in the state.”
Referring to the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, which claimed over 60 lives earlier last month, the Union Minister said, “10 days ago, almost 70 people died due to illicit liquor… The Tamil Nadu CM controls the Police and Home Ministry, and he is failing at it. Rahul Gandhi is visiting Hathras but does not know where Kallakurichi is. Political leaders are being murdered; they don’t have safety; where is the state headed?”
The Tamil Nadu Chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was hacked to death by a mob of unidentified men near his residence in Perambur, Chennai. Chennai police have secured eight suspects so far and formed a special team to investigate the murder of the BSP leader.
Earlier today, CM Stalin expressed grief over the incident and paid condolences to the family of the slain leader.
CM Stalin also said that the police have been ordered to conduct the case expeditiously and bring the culprits to justice as per the law. (With inputs from ANI)
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