BJP 'temporarily postpones' Coimbatore bandh called on October 31

The reason cited is the 'request from industrialists and traders' not to go ahead with the bandh considering the 'current economic conditions'

Stung by state unit chief K Annamalai’s statement before the Madras High Court that he never approved of hartal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Coimbatore on Saturday made a U-turn by “temporarily postponing” the day-long strike called on October 31 in the industrial city in connection with the October 23 car blast.

The reason cited for the “postponement” is the “request from industrialists and traders” not to go ahead with the bandh considering the “current economic conditions.” BJP had on October 26 announced that it will observe a day-long bandh in Coimbatore in protest against DMK’s “lethargic attitude” towards terrorism, especially in the wake of a car blast on October 23 on the eve of Deepavali.

Though BJP national executive member C P Radhakrishnan and Coimbatore (South) MLA Vanathi Srinivasan said the bandh will go on despite the state government taking objection to the move, the opposition to their decision came from an unexpected quarter – Annamalai who is believed to red-flagged the bandh. Coalition partners of the ruling DMK had also taken strong objection to BJP's bandh saying it was aimed only at "communalising" and "politicising" the incident.

Also Read: 'Never called for bandh in Coimbatore', TN BJP chief Annamalai tells court

Annamalai, through his counsel R C Paul Kanagaraj, told the High Court during the hearing of a petition seeking a ban on the bandh that the hartal call was not given by the state BJP but by local leaders in Coimbatore. The court also reminded the state government of its job to maintain law and order.

After a public humiliation by none other than the state unit chief, the Coimbatore district BJP made a volte-face on Saturday afternoon by withdrawing the bandh temporarily. Coimbatore district BJP President Balaji Uthamaramasamy said in a statement that the bandh was called to condemn the DMK’s “lethargic attitude” towards terror incidents in the state.

“In these circumstances, traders, businessmen, and entrepreneurs from Coimbatore contacted our state president Annamalai asking him to reconsider the decision to call for the bandh considering the current economic conditions. He spoke to senior leaders in Coimbatore and asked them not to cause inconvenience to people,” Uthamaramasamy said.

Hence, the bandh called on October 31 is being “temporarily postponed”, the statement added. The U-turn by the Coimbatore BJP unit has exposed fissures within the party – Annamalai doesn’t agree with the opinion of many senior party leaders. The BJP has termed the car blast as a “suicide attack” which was foiled.

Annamalai, who has blamed the state police for intelligence failure, will visit Coimbatore and pay obeisance at the Kottai Eswaran Temple, one of the alleged targets of the suspect who died in the LPG cylinder blast inside a car very close to the temple on October 23 morning.