Video Producer: Smitha TK
Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam
In an exclusive interaction with The Quint’s Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan talks about the chinks in the BJP's armour and what the Opposition needs to do in order to beat the saffron party in the 2024 elections.
With the conversation on the mahagathbandhan (an alliance led by regional parties) heating up ahead of the 2024 elections, Thiaga Rajan said there is a good chance for people to opt for regional parties over the saffron party.
Rajan added, “BJP is a non-entity in states who have managed to keep their identity intact. This notion of BJP’s invincibility stems from the large population and huge number of MPs in the Hindi belt, starting with Uttar Pradesh. Even then in 2019, BJP got only 37 percent of the votes and didn’t have even a simple majority. 2024 will be a game changer election.”
Noting that the BJP made inroads in the political space in Tamil Nadu in the 2021 elections by winning four seats, Rajan pointed out that, “It is most ironic that the most religious state, Tamil Nadu, is the one where BJP has the least traction in terms of vote share.”
He added, “The BJP’s notion of Hindutva is contrary to Tamil Nadu’s notion of Hinduism because religion is democratised here. BJP cannot become a party with a 10-12 percent seat share.”
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