Video of Shah-Tamilisai interaction sparks a row within Tamil Nadu BJP

Interpreting it as an “admonishment” of her “unwarranted public comments”, a section of BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu have taken aim at ex-state chief and former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan over a video of an interaction between her and Home Minister Amit Shah.

This comes days after Tamilisai, while speaking to a YouTube channel, suggested that the party may have fared better had its alliance with the AIADMK remained intact – a view that contrasts with the one held by current state chief K Annamalai.

On Wednesday, several BJP handles shared a video of an interaction between Shah and Tamilisai while on stage at Chandrababu Naidu’s swearing in as Andhra Pradesh CM.

Karthik Gopinath, state vice-president of the BJP’s social media cell, shared it with a caption: “That looks like a strong admonishment from Amit Shah ji to Tamilisai akka. But what could be the reason for this ‘public’ warning? Unwarranted public comments?”

Even the DMK weighed in, with its spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai posting online: “What kind of politics is this? Is it civilised to bring a senior woman leader from Tamil Nadu on stage and exhibit harsh words, with a threatening body language? Is Amit Shah unaware that everyone will be watching this? Sets a very wrong precedent.”

Speaking to a YouTube channel, Tamilisai had said, “I used to discourage and ignore anti-social elements from the party. But recently, a lot of such elements have entered the party and hold positions in some districts. Such practices should be prevented, and ordinary cadres who are working hard for the party should get their deserving space. That doesn’t mean that I think he (Annamalai) is a bad leader. Not at all, different leaders take decisions in different ways.”

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