Chappal gate: District president apologizes, BJP ousts him

MADURAI:  Hours after persons allegedly belonging to the BJP hurled a slipper on Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan’s convoy at Madurai airport, BJP urban district president Dr Saravanan visited the minister’s house on Saturday midnight and apologised for the incident. He then told reporters that he decided to quit the BJP. On Sunday, BJP TN president K Annamalai expelled Saravanan from the party for “violating party discipline.”

Saravanan said: “The minister acted as per the protocol. The BJP state president and cadre were allowed to pay respects to rifleman Lakshmanan’s mortal remains at the airport. I am deeply upset about what the BJP cadre did at the airport. So, I came to the minister’s residence to offer my apologies. I am ashamed of the BJP cadre engaging themselves in politics of hate and religion. The party is also working against minorities.”

Asked whether he would join the DMK, Saravanan said he had previously worked for the DMK and there was nothing wrong in returning to it. Later in the day, Minister PTR posted a picture of the slipper on social media and said, “I’ll have more to say about yesterday’s events later, but for now...

If the missing ‘Cinderella of the Old Airport Terminal’, who was allowed hundreds of metres into the ‘secured’ area along with tens of her party members, wants her sandal back... my staff have saved it for you.”

In another social media post, PTR shared photographs (left) of BJP cadre crowding near rifleman Lakshmanan’s mortal remains, and said, “If you see these pictures, it will be clear to you why I said we should practice ethics and avoid such publicity seeking behaviour.”

BJP cadre break open Bharat Matha memorial
Dharmapuri: Vice president of TN BJP KP Ramalingam and four cadre were arrested on Sunday after they broke open the locks  of Bharat Matha memorial at Papparapatti. They had gone there to garland the statue. When the caretaker said they had no permission, they allegedly broke open the memorial’s lock