Remarks at BJP office in Chennai
Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran on Tuesday criticised the alliance led by Deve Gowda, calling its claim of being “secular” a “big lie”. Speaking at the BJP office in Chennai, he alleged the alliance was acting with religious bias while projecting itself as non-sectarian.
Allegations of religious preference
Nagendran pointed to the Speaker appearing with a prayer rosary and referring to the Bible, saying such gestures had not been seen from previous Speakers. He said there was nothing wrong in citing any religious text, but questioned why similar references were not made to the Bhagavad Gita or the Quran, and asked whether the government was for all people or only for Christians.
Questions over bypolls and “horse-trading”
He also questioned the need for by-elections in two constituencies at this time, alleging “horse-trading” and claiming that people were being “bought” with money. While stating that anyone can join any party, he said his charge was that the Deve Gowda-led camp had paid to secure defections.
On leadership claims
On the issue of a prime ministerial candidate, Nagendran said leaders should assess their own standing before making claims, adding that the remark applied to Rahul and Vijay as well. He reiterated that the BJP stands with people of all faiths when they face problems and said his party’s priority is the country’s well-being.
