So that BJP's lotus could bloom in Tamil land

The BJP, struggling to find a foothold in Tamil Nadu, is making a concerted attempt this month end to make the lotus bloom in the Dravidian stronghold. Starting April 27, the party is organising Thamarai Samgamam (confluence of lotus) at Madurai in which all prominent leaders of the party ranging from LK Advani to Sushma Swaraj will participate.

“Our focus will be retrieval of Katchatheevu Islands from Sri Lanka through bilateral discussions and ensuring dignity and equality to our Tamil brethren in the north and north east of the island nation,” P Muraleedhar Rao, national general secretary of the party in charge of Tamil Nadu unit, told reporters on Tuesday.

He said Thamarai Samgamam is the fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu BJP delegates’ conference. “This is being held after a gap of 13 years. The last such conference was held at Tiruchy in 1999,” said Rao. Though the Tiruchi conference came a cropper, the BJP is hoping against hope that “Thamarai Sangamam’ would pay it rich dividends.