COURTING THE BRIDE CALLED TAMIL NADU

It may be a mistake to view Modi's vigorous engagement with the state through the prism of electoral gains alone. He could be wooing Tamils to vanquish the ideological challenge to BJP

- SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU

TAMIL Nadu appears to be in an interesting spot. In a season of weddings, one is tempted to say that it has been getting the attention of a bride. Between January and now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the state four times. In his latest public meeting in Chennai on March 3, he praised the state for its "great talent, trade and tradition". He had returned to the state within a week after addressing a public meeting in Tirunelveli on February 28.

Some may cynically say that this an election year, and he may visit eight more times before May. That apart, it is a fact that Modi's engagement with Tamils and Tamil Nadu in recent times has been inversely proportional to the electoral dividends the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has received or will receive from the state any time soon. In the 2019 general elections, not a single BJP member was elected. They had contested in five seats in an alliance led by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). And in 2019 too, between January and April, Modi had visited the state four times. Anyway, this average has already been broken in 2024. In all, from the time he became prime minister in 2014, till now, he has visited the state 24 times, which is some testimony to the consistency in his engagement. Not many Indian states have been so lucky.