AIADMK fires warning to BJP over 'Vetrivel Yatra' ahead of Amit Shah's Tamil Nadu visit

All is not well between BJP and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu as the latter, on Monday, warned its ally to not 'disrupt peace and harmony in the state by undertaking yatra - referring to the TN BJP unit's controversial Vel Yatra or Vetrivel Yatra. 

Just days ahead of Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to the state on 21 November to discuss poll strategies with party functionaries for the upcoming 2021 Assembly elections, AIADMK via its mouthpiece Namadhu Amma warned the BJP of undertaking Vel Yatras and asked them to stop doing so. 

The state government has denied permission for the Vel Yatra, scheduled to be held between November 6-December 6, citing preventive measures taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic. TN BJP President Murugan has been stopped short of undertaking the Vel Yatra on multiple occasions during the last month. 

READ | BJP's Misappropriation Of MGR In 'Vetrivel Yatra' In TN Irks AIADMK Amid Suspected Rift

 "People who take out 'vel yatra' should understand, AIADMK will not allow anyone who trying to do vote bank politics in the name of religion. AIADMK will not support any rallies that are intended to divide people based on Religion or Caste", reads the piece.

Raising concerns over the Tamil Nadu BJP's Vetri Vel Yatra, the Madras High Court on Tuesday asked how the party managed to go ahead with the procession without obtaining the permission from the state government. The Madras High Court pulled up the state BJP unit on Tuesday for proceeding with the yatra after the Director-General of Police informed the Court that the party was doing so despite being denied permission. According to reports, the state's Advocate General (AG) informed the two-judge bench comprising of M Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha that the TN BJP was violating rules alongside obstructing the police from discharging their duties and putting others' lives at risk. 

READ | Madras HC Pulls Up TN BJP, Asks How Vel Yatra Is Happening Without State Govt's Permission

AIADMK recently also pulled up BJP for the alleged appropriation of MG Ramachandran's legacy (MGR) in some of their promotional videos. Following the stunt, the Tamil Nadu BJP unit faced severe backlash from the ruling AIADMK party for showing visuals of the party's founder and most influential leader MGR in promotional materials for the Vetrivel Yatra.  In a 3:24 minute-long promotional video posted by the BJP Dharmapuri on YouTube, visuals of MGR can be seen. The late actor/politician photo emerges and then transitions into PM Modi's (at 1:23) as the song in the background stresses on the need for people of different colours to unite. In another video, the TN BJP President is seen walking in a farm alongside older footage of MGR doing the same. 

Despite the BJP assuring the AIADMK that it was only to pay tribute to the legendary figure and meant only as a way to honour the late AIADMK leader in their videos, the ruling party appears to be miffed with its alliance partner and it has gone on to express displeasure, stating that the ideologies of both the parties were completely different, as per reports.  

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