With Pongal event, Amit Shah reaches out to Tamil Nadu voters | India News

TRICHY: Union home minister Amit Shah’s two-day visit to poll-bound Tamil Nadu ended on an inconclusive note Monday, with no apparent breakthrough in BJP’s efforts to strengthen NDA in the state. There was anticipation that Shah would initiate alliance talks with potential partners, PMK and DMDK during the visit, while also seeking a resolution to the TTV Dhinakaran-O Panneerselvam impasse.AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was expected to travel to Trichy to meet Shah on Monday. However, the meeting did not take place. “Such a meeting was not scheduled. Also, the public meeting attended by Shah in Pudukottai was a BJP event, not an NDA event. Hence, allies were not invited,” a BJP member said.Former AIADMK minister S P Velumani met Shah twice. Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal, who is BJP Tamil Nadu poll in-charge, was present during the first interaction. However, both AIADMK and BJP functionaries remained tight-lipped about the talks.Meanwhile, BJP sources said Shah may visit Chennai again later this month, when he could meet EPS.Shah also chaired a BJP core committee meeting on Sunday. On Monday, Shah visited Jambukeswarar temple in Thiruvanaikoil and Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam. He later reached Trichy-Madurai NH, where BJP organised ‘Namma Ooru Modi Pongal Vizha’, a traditional Pongal celebration featuring 1,008 pots. While party cadres expected Shah to address the gathering, he spent less than 30 minutes at the venue.