The arrival of Jana Sena MP from Kakinada T Uday Srinivas at Chennai to attend the Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin hosted Joint Action Committee meeting on delimitation, said to be an anti-BJP political event, is creating political storm in NDA.
He reached Chennai on Friday evening to attend the event and he was extended a very warm welcome by DMK MPs. He was received by two DMK MPs P Wilson and MM Abdulla at the Chennai Airport with a bouquet, when he landed from New Delhi at 8.30 pm and he was taken to the ITC Grand Chola Hotel, where leaders from several states had had gathered for Saturday’s meeting, seen as a rare show of opposition unity against the BJP’s proposed delimitation process.
It may be recalled that Jana Sena led by AP Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, is a key NDA constituent and said to be a close associate of the BJP. However, Jana Sena MP Srinivas did not attend the event on Saturday and returned back on Saturday morning itself.
It may be said that he went to Chennai only on the official invitation of the DMK and may not dare to go there without consent from Pawan Kalyan. Soon after his arrival in Chennai, it is learnt that the BJP was upset that one of its key allies represented at this anti-BJP show. Soon after, top BJP leaders swung into action and contacted Pawan Kalyan.
On Friday mid-night he was asked by his party not to attend the Stalin hosted event and returned back from Chennai. Soon after receiving the directive, he had left on Saturday morning itself.
As the MPs presence in Chennai has created political uproar in the media, the Jana Sena resorted to damage correction exercises. Admitting that they have received an invitation from the DMK to attend the event, the Jana Sena said that their MP Srinivas had gone all the way to Chennai only to convey that the party would not be attending the meeting.
The party said Srinivas was sent to Chennai with a letter from Pawan Kalyan stating the party’s stand. “Reports that JSP was to attend the DMK meeting are misleading and false. Pawan Kalyan has already made the party’s stand clear,” party’s spokesperson Hari Prasad said.
However, Jana Sena’s reasoning is not convincing anyone. It is said that a seat was also reserved for Jana Sena MP at Stalin’s meeting. Though the DMK did not officially comment on his exit, a senior party leader said, “We understand how these things work. Still, he came all the way here. That means something.”