15 March, 24: The Madras High Court has intervened to grant permission for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled 4 km roadshow in Coimbatore on Monday, overriding initial refusal by Tamil Nadu Police, albeit with certain conditions.
Earlier, the police had cited law-and-order concerns and the conduct of a public exam as reasons for denying permission. They maintained that similar refusals were extended to other political parties, emphasizing impartiality in their decision-making process.
However, the court highlighted the limited role of state security apparatus in securing events attended by the Prime Minister, who is under the protection of the Special Protection Group (SPG). Despite this, the police reiterated their commitment to assume equal responsibility for maintaining security.
PM Modi's visit to Coimbatore forms part of a larger outreach to the southern states, traditionally less receptive to the BJP, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the dates for which are set to be announced on Saturday.
Coimbatore, known for its relatively stronger BJP presence, has a history of communally sensitive incidents, notably the 1998 serial bomb blasts targeting senior BJP leader LK Advani, resulting in nearly 60 casualties.
During his fifth visit to Tamil Nadu, PM Modi has intensified his criticism of the ruling DMK and its allies, including the Congress, accusing them of involvement in various scams while positioning himself as a champion of development.
Despite the BJP's limited footprint in Tamil Nadu, with less than three per cent vote share in the last general election and the recent rupture in the BJP-AIADMK alliance, PM Modi has extended olive branches to former allies, notably praising AIADMK icon J Jayalalithaa.
However, the AIADMK remains steadfast in its decision to contest the upcoming elections independently, despite the BJP's efforts to mend ties. The BJP's alliance with the AIADMK has yielded unsatisfactory results for the state party in recent elections, with the DMK emerging as a formidable adversary.
In a bid to expand its support base, the BJP has engaged with smaller Tamil parties such as S Ramadoss' PMK and DMDK led by late actor-politician Vijaykanth. Some success has been witnessed, with sitting MLA S Vijayadharani from Vilavancode in Kanyakumari district defecting to the saffron party.
