Amit Shah told me to carry out constituency work intensively: Soundararajan denies intra-party feud

PTI, Jun 14, 2024, 8:15 AM IST

Former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Union Ministers Amit Shah and Chirag Paswan with BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan attend the swearing-in ceremony of Nara Chandrababu Naidu as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, in Vijayawada, Wednesday. (Credit: PTI)

Chennai: BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday said senior party leader Amit Shah asked her to “carry out political and constituency work intensively”, a day after a video of her interaction with the Union home minister surfaced on the social media.

In the video clip from TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu’s swearing-in as Andhra Pradesh chief minister on Wednesday, Shah can be seen talking to Soundararajan in an animated manner while gesturing with his finger.

In a post on X on Thursday evening, Soundararajan, who is the former Governor of Telangana, said she met Shah for the first time following the declaration of Lok Sabha poll results and the duo was talking about “post-poll follow-up”.

“Yesterday as I met our Honorable Home Minister Sri @AmitShah ji in AP for the first time after the 2024 Elections he called me to ask about post poll followup and the challenges faced.

“As I was elaborating, due to paucity of time with utmost concern, he adviced to carry out the political and constituency work intensively which was reassuring. This is to clarify all unwarranted speculations,” she said.

Soundararajan contested from the South Chennai Lok Sabha seat. She lost the election to DMK’s Tamizhachi Thangapandian.

Her comment assumes significance in the wake of rumours of an intra-party feud in the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP.

Soundararajan, on her return to Chennai on Wednesday, declined to comment, when she was asked by reporters on the claims of a discord within the party vis-a-vis her interaction with Shah.

Her alleged comments on “criminal elements” in the BJP and that “the party would have won had there been an alliance with the AIADMK” were among the triggering factors.