Tamil Nadu govt made wrong decision on Vel Yatra: State BJP chief

Tamil Nadu BJP President L Murugan on Sunday accused ally AIADMK's government of making a "wrong decision" in denying permission for the national party's "Vel Yatra" as he was detained yet again while attempting to set out on its second leg from here.

Two days after detaining him briefly, police picked up Murugan, former union minister C P Radhakrishnan and others when they tried to take out the yatra from Thiruvottiyur in north Chennai and lodged them in a nearby marriage hall.

They were all released later, police said.

The government has denied nod for the yatra, proposed in honour of Lord Muruga and covering his six abodes across the state, citing the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Murugan, several other leaders and supporters were held on Friday at Tiruttani, about 80 km from here, when he was about to launch the yatra without permission and later let off.

"The Tamil Nadu government has taken a wrong decision on the Vel Yatra. This yatra will continue as it is the BJP's event," Murugan told reporters on Sunday.

On whether the party could realign the yatra route with no temples, he shot back, "there are no places in Tamil Nadu without temples." "I cant comment on the issue as the case is pending in the court," he added, referring to a petition by the BJP in the Madras High Court challenging the denial of permission for the month-long programme.

Before commencing the second day yatra from Vadivudaiamman temple at Tiruvottiyur, Murugan, flanked by party seniors Radhakrishnan and L Ganesan, said the BJP felt the state government has not been fair in handling the issue from the beginning.

The yatra, proposed to culminate at Tiruchendur temple in southern Tamil Nadu next month, was to 'expose' the DMK, which Murugan has accused of being behind the 'Karuppar Kootam' that denigrated "Kanda Sashti Kavacham", a spiritual hymn sung in praise of Lord Muruga.

The BJP would emerge as a major force in Tamil Nadu in the 2021 assembly elections, Murugan claimed, adding it would be the deciding factor in government formation.

BJP state general secretary K T Raghavan alleged the police "prevented him from moving out" of his home on Sunday.

A large number of party leaders and cadres from other parts of the state, particularly in Tambaram, Mahabalipuram and the neighbouring districts of Chennai were prevented from participating in the Vel Yatra programme scheduled today at Tiruvottiyur, Raghavan alleged.

Meanwhile, police said they arrested BJP Kancheepuram unit vice-president Selvamani early on Sunday in a case registered on a complaint by a revenue department official of Tiruttani that he allegedly manhandled Tiruvallur Superintendent of police P Aravindhan.

A group of BJP members on Friday allegedly shoved the district police chief when he went to disperse BJP workers squatting on a road, protesting the detention of Murugan that day.