Filmmaker Pa. Ranjith pitches electoral foray for Armstrong’s widow

Filmmaker Pa. Ranjith on Saturday advocated for an electoral debut for Porkodi, the widow of slain BSP Tamil Nadu president K. Armstrong. Expressing his desire that she should enter the fray from the Tiruvallur Assembly constituency in 2026, he declared he would campaign for her. Acknowledging that she may not be willing to contest, he said, “but she should be convinced.”

Speaking at a launch of a book about Armstrong in Chennai, Ranjith, a votary for political empowerment of the Scheduled Castes, said, “We should work with a plan for the 2026 Assembly elections. We have to make Mrs. Armstrong win in Tiruvallur constituency. If we start our work from now, we can achieve this. We have history of our brothers and grandfathers winning on their own in northern districts. Why can’t we achieve it again? Lets target one constituency and work. I am ready to do the work. You all come. Like Kanshi Ram (BSP founder), let us sit on porches and on the streets. Winning or losing is not a big deal, but what matters is whether we are ‘fighting’. We have to send her to the assembly.”

He wanted the police’s final report in the Armstrong murder case in which 27 persons were allegedly involved, to be debated. “Is this the final list? We have to debate it. A proper investigation has taken place, but I feel a narrative that is comfortable to them has been presented as the final report. What has been left out by the investigation...for political reasons should be reinvestigated. This legal challenge should be mounted by us so that nobody goes scot-free,” he said.

He also raised suspicions over the death of suspects in alleged police encounters and called for investigations.

Mr. Ranjith’s talk of political foray was ‘spontaneous’, according to sources close to him. “After Armstrong’s murder, he was asked by BSP high command to take over the party in Tamil Nadu but he declined,” claimed a source. While he believes in the politics of fighting for SC interests and right, he doesn’t necessarily believe in the BSP’s political positions, the source said.

“When Ranjith faced a strong pushback for his comments on Raja Raja Chola, it was Armstrong who stood by him. Ranjith’s brother and Armstrong had worked together under the umbrella of Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar’s politics,” said a close confidant.

Published - November 17, 2024 11:15 pm IST