Chennai: In the emaciated state BJP that has more leaders than cadres, there is now a new ‘star’ shrieking for attention at the saffron horizon. Youth wing president Vinoj P. Selvam hopes that his ‘massive’ rally of young men and women-he promises none above 40 years would be allowed in-in the city on August 7 would shake up the Edappadi Palaniswami Government into some action. More importantly, he would like his 'thunder' heard in Delhi so he could gain promotion as the successor to Dr Tamizhisai Sounderarajan as the state BJP president.

“Vinoj has all the qualities and qualifications to be the state president. He has proved this last one year since taking charge as the young wing chief in June last year”, said a lieutenant exuding confidence it would be a smooth jog for his young boss to the top post in the state BJP.

“True, there will be lot of resistance from the seniors here; but then, Amit Shah and Modiji will be convinced that the party here needs real young blood to make a dent in this Dravidian stronghold”, said the Vinoj loyalist.

To those who wonder who Vinoj is, the 30-year-old law graduate has been in the BJP since 2007 when he was a student of the Dr Ambedkar School of Excellence in Law, Chennai. His father V. Panneerselvam is the president of the Tamil Nadu Vaaniyar Peravai, an organisation of traditional edible oil merchants. The family owns the Checkers Hotel at Guindy, Rohini Theatre at Koyambedu and Rohini International Hotel at T'Nagar, besides some other properties.

When asked about his ambitious Monday rally at Chepauk, Vinoj said, “It will be so huge that you will think this is a BJP-ruled state. For the first time, the BJP will be having huge media splash in Tamil Nadu; there will be advertisements, over 3000 wall-writings all over the state. Chennai will have over 400 hoardings”.

“The rally will demand closure of tasmac liquor shops, local body elections and improvement in the standard of education in government schools in Tamil Nadu”, said the young man, adding that the BJP national youth wing president Ms Poonam Mahajan and party general secretary Muralidhar Rao, who is in charge of the Youth Wing and also TN BJP, will be attending. State BJP leaders including Tamilisai Sounderajan, C. P. Radhakrishnan and national secretary H. Raja, are also expected to attend, according to him.

“I am not paying a penny to anyone to come for the rally, yet there will be thousands of enthusiastic young BJP members converging here on that day from all over the state”, said Vinoj, sounding very confident. “We want to promote nationalism in the state. It has been somewhat diluted in the Dravidian rule”.