Row over Chess Olympiad hoardings: BJP puts PM Modi’s pics on banners, TPDK volunteers spray black paint

New Delhi: Chennai is all set to host the 44th Chess Olympiad, one of the biggest congregation of players. More than 2,000 players are expected to descend to the Southern town for the championship. More than 3,000 rooms in hotels have been booked including the five-star & four-star facilities.

As Chennai hosts the world-class championship, the event has aroused big excitement in thousands of Chess players including Tamil Nadu-based world champion Vishwanathan Anand.

State government has made a conscious effort to promote the game by posting banners, billboards and pamphlets of Chess Olympiad across the city. However, the mega advertisement blitz by Stalin-led DMK government for publicizing the event & ‘garnering’ positive reviews for itself, has received adverse & harsh reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP workers, livid with DMK government over ‘deliberate ignorance’ of PM Modi in organization of the grand event, pasted pictures of the Prime Minister on the Chess Olympiad posters & pamphlets displayed at public places.

BJP functionaries were seen affixing portraits of Prime Minister Modi onto hoardings, advertising the Chess Olympiad across Chennai. The posters originally  displayed only Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s image.

Let me remind CM @stalin that our PM Sh. @narendramodi Avl is the sole representative of this Nation??
Here we begin!!!

Chess Olympiad 2022.@annamalai_k @blsanthosh @JPNadda pic.twitter.com/eKiMW8GmQ9

— Amar Prasad Reddy (@amarprasadreddy) July 27, 2022

However, what sparked a major row was defacement of the Chess Olympiad posters & pamphlets by the activists of Thandthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK). The volunteers were caught on camera spraying black paint on pictures of PM Modi.

The video of the TPDK activists defacing PM Modi’s pictures on the Chess billboard posters landed on social media and evoked sharp reactions, with many demanding strict action against them.

However, analysts believe that disfiguring of PM Modi’s pictures on the billboards is not just about TDPK’s opposition to Modi government but shows its deep-rooted hatred.

During Agnipath scheme roll out also, they created chaos across the city and its cadres burnt the effigy of Prime Minister. The TPDK volunteers set PM Modi’s effigy on fire and also shouted slogans against governemnt.

Today, about 50 of TDPK volunteers were arrested after they protested against the state govt and alleged that the government had failed to provide textbooks, notebooks & uniforms, 1 month after opening of the schools.