We have done away with caste, dynasty politics, and corruption. There were so many scams in the previous governments and big people have even gone to jail for it. But no one can say the BJP is corrupt. Wherever we came to power, we brought an end to corruption.Amit Shah, President, Bharatiya Janata Party in Chennai
BJP President Amit Shah was in Chennai on 9 July, for a one-day visit, in an attempt to “energise grassroots level functionaries” ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls and meet a cross-section of leaders, party insiders said to PTI.
Shah was welcomed by BJP workers, and held an interactive session with members of the Sakthi and Maha Sakthi Kendra, which comprise of the grassroots members of the party.
It is because of your blessings that Narendra Modi has helped more than 10 crore poor families. The BJP has also become stronger and grown because of Modi’s work, and marked their presence in 19 states.Amit Shah
Hoardings, festoons and banners welcomed Shah along the route from the airport to the venue of the meeting on East Coast Road in the suburbs.
BJP Tamil Nadu unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan termed the visit of the party's national chief a "big morale booster" for workers.
The saffron party in Tamil Nadu has been trying hard to make a dent in the largely bipolar Dravidian politics dominated by the ruling AIADMK and the principal Opposition DMK.
The party is hoping to make inroads into the political scene in Tamil Nadu which is witnessing a political turmoil after the death of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa in 2016 and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi becoming politically inactive in view of his age, PTI said.
#GoBackAmitShah Trends on Twitter
In the hours ahead of Shah’s visit, the hashtag #GoBackAmitShah began trending on social media platform Twitter.
Residents of Tamil Nadu took to Twitter to share the hashtag “#GoBackAmitShah”.
Opposition Leaders Jump on #GoBackAmitShah Bandwagon
Leaders of the Indian National Congress’ state unit as well as the DMK jumped on the #GoBackAmitShah bandwagon.
Shah's Visit Will Have No Impact in Tamil Nadu: CPI’s Raja
Senior CPI leader D Raja said to PTI that BJP President Amit Shah's visit to Tamil Nadu would not have any impact as the southern state will never accept "Hindutva politics".
Shah’s visit is not going to have any impact and Tamil Nadu will never accept Hindutva politics. The BJP is spending huge money for this, but considering political, social and cultural history of the state it cannot have foothold here.D Raja, Leader, CPI
Referring to the Centre's proposal for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the CPI leader alleged the BJP was trying to divert the nation's attention by talking about the "impractical" measure.
"Instead of talking about electoral reforms, the BJP is trying to divert issue on to simultaneous elections. That is not practical. The country has various diverse political situations. How can they impose such an initiative?" he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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