Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shobha Karandlaje has put a damper on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to woo Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with her remarks against the Tamilians.

Referring to the bomb blast at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe on March 1, she is heard saying, “People from Tamil Nadu come here, get trained there, and plant bombs here. They placed a bomb in the cafe." 

The remarks went viral on social media. Though she apologised for her remarks, a controversy erupted with the people from Tamil Nadu expressing anguish over her statement.   

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin strongly condemned her statement and called for legal action against the union minister. Stalin termed her claims as "reckless" and said only an NIA official or someone closely linked to the case should have the authority to make any remarks on the matter.

The controversy appears to have poured cold water on the Prime Minister's plan to woo Tamil Nadu. His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keen to increase its vote share in the state. To ensure that, the saffron party has stitched seat-sharing agreements with GK Vasan’s Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), while it has gained the support of TTV Dinakaran’s (expelled from AIADMK) Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and former chief minister O Panneerselvam. Actor-turned-politician R Sarath Kumar has also disbanded his All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) and merged with the BJP. 

Modi wants to prove that the BJP has established its footprints in Tamil Nadu after Karnataka and Telangana. For months, rumour mills have been doing rounds that he might contest from Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha seat along with Varanasi to give a boost to the party’s campaign in south India. 

The constituency has substantial Muslim voters and a win from there would send a strong message to the south Indian Hindus. However, the final call is yet to be taken. 

Karandlaje has caused a huge damage to Modi’s plan as Tamilians are now up in arms against the BJP and point out that the saffron party has a hidden agenda in Tamil Nadu.