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The BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit is planning to launch a TV channel for the party in the state, a surprise to many in state politics. Top party sources said the project, which will be an extension of Janam TV, considered a party mouthpiece in Kerala, will be announced Monday.
A senior BJP leader told The Indian Express that the Tamil channel’s name will also most likely be Janam TV. “It will be based in Alwarpet in the city, and the initial cost is estimated to be around Rs 15 crore, which will be mobilised using party and RSS resources in Tamil Nadu,” the leader said.
The leader referred to the project, whose launch date is yet to be announced, as a “baby of K Annamalai,” the party’s state chief in his late 30s. “Annamalai will be overseeing the project. The main reason for this project is to provide comprehensive coverage of his state-wide padayatra beginning April 14, 2023,” added the leader.
Despite facing numerous allegations, such as low pay and being a commercially unsustainable model, Janam TV in Kerala played a key role in the BJP and RSS’s propaganda efforts during the Sabarimala controversy. It was a period when the channel attracted as many viewers as mainstream news channels in a state where ‘news’ is a pricey commodity like entertainment.
