Former Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit pitches for country’s winter capital in Tamil Nadu

Banwarilal Purohit's suggestion for Tamil Nadu to have a parliament session is seen as BJP's strategy to expand its base in the southern state ahead of the 2024 general election.

Banwarilal Purohit may have resigned as Governor of Punjab, but a suggestion he made a few days ago — to hold a Parliament session at a ‘winter capital’ in Tamil Nadu — may be starting to pick up steam in political circles as the BJP continues its efforts to expand its political base in the southern State.

Before being appointed to the Raj Bhavan in Punjab, Mr. Purohit had served as Governor of Tamil Nadu from 2017 to 2021. On February 3, a day after he held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Mr. Purohit tendered his resignation as Punjab’s Governor and the Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

His suggestion regarding a ‘winter capital’ — which was made during a Chandigarh Tamil Sangam event held during the Pongal festival a couple of weeks ago — is being seen against the backdrop of the BJP’s attempts in the run-up to the general election to make an inroad in the key southern State, where politics have been largely dominated by regional parties.

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“...For four years, I was in Tamil Nadu, enjoyed a lot, tremendous affectionate people there, culture is very rich, people are simple… Our weather here is colder, Delhi is the capital, so try to turn the key in your State so that a second capital is in Tamil Nadu. [Prime Minister Narendra] Modiji will do it as well, let a loud noise come from Tamil Nadu. Let a session [of the Parliament] in winters be there [in Tamil Nadu] and in summers, let it be here [in Delhi],” said Mr. Purohit, addressing the gathering.

Political observers feel that the Governor’s remark, coming ahead of the 2024 parliamentary election, appears to be aligned with the BJP’s ambition to expand its base in Tamil Nadu.

“It appears that the BJP is shifting the focus on Tamil Nadu in the lead-up to the general election, and the remark by Mr. Purohit is indicative of it. Such statements usually come into the public domain at the directive of top-party leadership. It could be a part of the BJP’s strategy to win over south India, as the party intends to increase its footprint there,” said Pramod Kumar, Director at the Institute of Development and Communication (IDC), Chandigarh.