BJP proud, justified in invoking Modi's name in these polls, says actor Tara

MANGALURU: Actor Tara aka Anuradha on Thursday justified move by the rank and file of the Saffron party to invoke name of PM Narendra Modi in the run up to the general elections. Describing Modi as a galvanising force for the BJP cadre, Tara tore in to the Congress and JD(S), which she said had no qualms about invoking legacy of their leaders – Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi or former PM H D Deve Gowda and his extended clan.

Drumming up support for party candidate for DK Lok Sabha candidate Nalin Kumar Kateel at the city’s bustling fish market here, Tara said the upcoming elections – April 18 and 23 – in Karnataka is all about the nation and not about local issues. “The mood of the electorate is clearly geared in this direction. They are ready to repose their faith in the five-year corruption free and nationalistic centred administration that Modi has given,” she said.

In such a scenario, the candidate – Nalin Kumar Kateel in this case becomes secondary as the country is eager to repose their faith in Modi for a second term and will do so through Nalin Kumar, she said. Nalin on the other hand has his own list of achievements and is ranked the seventh best performing MP in the state and the top MP from Karnataka, she said, adding the Modi factor with Nalin’s work on the ground will result in good tidings for BJP.

Referring to the constituents she met – the fisherwomen – Tara said the Modi government has fulfilled a long standing demand of the fisher community in setting up a separate ministry for them. Thus far, union ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare handled issues related to fishermen, she said, adding carving out a separate ministry will enable the government to give pointed focus on host of issues they face at the local and national level.

Pointing that she is just an ordinary party worker to give any sort of assurances to various problems that the fisherwomen poured out before her, Tara said the party has organised a fishermen’s convention on April 9. The party will give these fisherwomen and all other stake holders a forum to air their grievances at this convention, she said, adding it is up to the state government and the local administration to resolve the issue raised by them.

On criticism by chief minister HD Kumaraswamy to actors openly canvassing support for independent candidate Sumalatha in Mandya, Tara said Kumaraswamy himself is very much associated with the industry he is criticising as a distributor first and even his son Nikhil is an actor. “We actors too are very much part of the society and not cut away from it,” she said, adding actors work hard to earn their livelihood and CMs criticism is misplaced.