Is this the time for former Union minister and three-term Rajya Sabha member Jayanti Natrajan to join the BJP? The way she is defending the government in TV debates and opposing the stand taken by the Congress and its high command, it appears that the time has come for her to don a saffron robe.

The BJP is very aggressive in two southern states – Telangana and Tamil Nadu. The party is not only strengthening the organisation in these states especially in TN but also reaching out to masses. A campaign is run across the state in a very subtle manner to dilute Dravidian identity and bring Hindutva identity to the fore.

This is to recall that when Rajnikant attacked social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy who started the Dravidian movement in the state, political parties like DMK, AIDMK and other Dravidian outfits not only criticized Rajnikant but asked him to apologize. But he stood his ground despite several cases were registered against him.

With two Tamil Brahmins in the Modi cabinet – External Affairs minister S Jaishanker and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman – the BJP might have some bigger plans for the state. The strategy of the BJP as has always been to pick some establish leaders from the region to make its strength is working in Tamil Nadu too.

In such a situation, if Natrajan joins the BJP and works in Tamil Nadu as she is based in Chennai, it will be definitely a treasure for the party. She is bitter about the Gandhi family as she was asked to resign as Union environment minister and work for the party unceremoniously. She resigned from the Congress holding Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi making her scapegoat. She had also accused the interference of Rahul Gandhi in the working of the ministry. So there is a lot to unfold in Tamil Nadu.