The Bharatia Janatha Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu unit has condemned adoption of the ‘Tirumangalam formula,’ which the ruling combines of DMK and Congress had perfected and resorted to in the recent by-polls in State, said State unit president L. Ganesan.
Stating that the wins in these polls had been ‘purchased’ and not ‘won,’ Mr. Ganesan pointed out that despite the boycott of the main opposition party, AIADMK and its allies such as PMK and MDMK, the DMK and Congress adopted all sorts of poll violations to which the Election Commission remained a mute spectator.
“Even they purchased the candidate of another party,” he said making a veiled reference to the BJP candidate in Cumbum constituency who just prior to the polls defected to the DMK.
Mr. Ganesan further said that his party was not endorsing the demands of AIADMK and others that ballot paper system should be reverted replacing the EVMs. “ The BJP has asked the Election Commission to improve the EVMs so that they remain tamper-proof,” he said.
Welcoming the ‘statue diplomacy’ adopted by the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the BJP leader said that this would also pave way for sorting out the “intense differences” between these two States on the Cauvery water issue over the years.
Earlier, he held discussions with party functionaries and asked them to enrol and renew memberships. “Party organisational polls will be held after September 30,” he said.
