Coimbatore: A rift appears to have emerged between AIADMK and BJP in Coimbatore and signs are that it might widen in the coming days.Cadres of both the parties staged a protest against each other on Thursday and dispersed with discontent continuing to simmer without the dispute resolved. It all started early in the morning when cadres of BJP and a few Hindu outfits visited Amma Yoga Centre, run by city corporation at Ganesha Puram to celebrate the International Yoga Day. The men were stumped to see the hall locked since it usually opens with residents from the locality practising yoga everyday.The BJP cadres were told that the hall was locked by former AIADMK councillor Venugopal. The cadres started making frantic phone calls to the former councillor, other AIADMK leaders, police as well as their own leaders raising the issue. Police officers too rushed to the spot, but the hall was not opened.After more than five hours of wait, BJP men started doing yoga in front of the locked hall. By then, a number of AIADMK men also gathered and they started a slogan shouting protest against BJP. The hall was finally opened around 3pm after the BJP men refused to leave the spot unless it was opened.“But we chose not to enter the hall and left,” state BJP treasurer SR Sekar, who was heading BJP cadres, said. He wanted the police to book the ex-councillor and also asked AIADMK to initiate disciplinary action against him.Former mayoral candidate of BJP Nandakumar alleged that the incident was politically motivated and the councillor wouldn’t have locked the hall without the knowledge of senior AIADMK leaders. “The hall is meant for practising yoga and it is open on all days, so why lock it on a day when BJP plans for an event there?” ask cadres of the saffron party.“Celebration of Yoga day was a Government of India event. We didn’t have any party flags or posters of our leaders. It was a public event. So why scuttle it?” asked Sekar. Even if prohibiting political parties from holding political events was the objective, who gave the authority to a former councillor to lock a public building?” he asked.Sekar said they had approached the city corporation as well as police beforehand seeking permission to conduct the event. Apparently, corporation authorities and police told them to go ahead since it was a Central government initiative.Sources in both parties say there were minor skirmishes between cadres over the last 20 days in Kuniamuthur. BJP cadres say their attempts at building the saffron party by organising events didn’t go down well with AIADMK men, who are scuttling such eventsBut AIADMK men said that BJP was attempting to score political mileage out of the issue. “The centre was only for the use of general public and not for any political outfit. Not just BJP, we wouldn’t have let the hall to any party for a political event,” said an AIADMK functionary.Venugopal was not reachable for comment.

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