After two rounds of Kashi Tamil Sangamam, BJP plans Ayothiapattinam outreach

Lucknow, Jan 20 (IANS) Much before other parties finalised their strategies for the general elections, the Bhartiya Janata Party organised a month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month.

The event was an attempt by the BJP to establish a foothold in South India and develop a north-south relationship.A single strategy would not have been enough, so the BJP has been working on different tracks, including the Kashi Tamil Sangamam.Incidentally, the first edition of the month-long Sangamam, held in November 2022, celebrated the many aspects of the historical and civilisational bonds between India’s North and South.The party prepared to unite Tamil speakers with North India and thus strengthened the ground for the Lok Sabha elections.The party wants to increase its vote bank in the southern states on the pretext of the Samagam and has been using the religious agenda in Varanasi and the South.It is commonly known that most South Indians are deeply religious and the Tamil Samagam provided the perfect opportunity to people from different walks of life to get a taste of Kashi’s spirit, culture and cuisine.Ayodhya, of course, was also on the itinerary.People from different sections were brought to Kashi from Tamil Nadu in groups of 200-250 at an interval of two days. The groups were divided into 12 categories like religious traditions and beliefs, cultural including music, and art.The students and teachers came under education and spiritual groups, while the artisans of various handloom and handicraft products came under ODOP group.The farmers came under the agriculture group, and the traders were under the industry and trade group.A group of people related to historical heritage came to Kashi under the heritage group.The interactions held between the local groups and visiting groups of the same categories, allowed the people from Tamil Nadu to understand how the BJP government had benefitted their counterparts in the north.The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Samagam in a traditional Tamil outfit and his speech had a smattering of Tamil, served as an icing on the cake.A senior BJP leader who played a crucial role in organizing the Samagam, explained, “