AIADMK boss E Palaniswami is a former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (File).
Chennai:
Tamil Nadu’s AIADMK has snapped ties with the Bharatiya Janata Occasion and the BJP-led Nationwide Democratic Alliance – simply months earlier than the nationwide election – amid a row over feedback by the latter occasion’s state boss, Ok Annamalai. The AIADMK had accused the BJP chief of intentionally defaming its current and previous leaders.
The break-up was introduced by AIADMK Deputy Normal Secretary KP Munusamy after a decision was handed unanimously at a gathering of MPs, MLAs and district heads in Chennai. “AIADMK is breaking all ties with BJP and NDA from at present. State management of BJP has been making pointless remarks about our former leaders for the previous 12 months.”
“The AIADMK will battle the 2024 election with its allies,” Mr Munusamy additionally mentioned.
AIAMK spokesperson Sasirekha mentioned, “… primarily based on members’ opinion we’re taking this decision. That is the happiest second (for us). We’re very blissful to face the upcoming elections (on our personal), whether or not Parliamentary or Meeting.”
AIADMK Spokesperson Sasirekha, “…Based mostly on the members’ opinion we’re taking this decision… That is the happiest second for AIADMK. We’re very blissful to face the upcoming elections whether or not it may be Parliament or Meeting elections…” https://t.co/GiNZLJsRR7pic.twitter.com/wkwn2QYNEI
— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2023
Occasion staff burst firecrackers and distributed sweets to have a good time. Venu, a kind of celebrating, advised NDTV, ” This can be a nice determination. Our staff welcome this.” G Venkatesh mentioned, “We did not get minorities votes due to BJP alliance. Now we’ll win all 39 seats (in subsequent 12 months’s Lok Sabha election).”
Mr Annamalai – who’s on a padyatra, or foot march, in Coimbatore, mentioned, “Our nationwide management will reply.”
Earlier he had refused to again down. He argued that what he had mentioned was a part of historical past and wanted to be understood within the context of the row over Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin‘s comment on Sanatan Dharm.
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At a gathering in Delhi on Saturday – a last-gasp effort to revive strained ties – the south Indian occasion stood agency on its demand – that Mr Annamalai both apologise for remarks on the late former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, or get replaced with a “non-controversial chief”. Mr Annadurai was the mentor of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran.
A senior AIADMK chief at that assembly mentioned discussions have been “cordial”, however remarks by the BJP’s M Chakravarthy painted a unique image. “… management doesn’t relish concept of shifting Annamalai as he has been (instrumental in) reviving the occasion (in Tamil Nadu)… he solely made a comment alluding to Annadurai throughout Sanatan Dharma row.”
READ |AIADMK Delegation Meet BJP Leaders In Delhi Over Rift In Ties In Tamil Nadu
The alliance was on the brink final week after the previous occasion’s D Jayakumar advised reporters “we’ll determine on alliance earlier than the election”. “Annamalai is unfit to be BJP’s state president. He speaks ailing of late leaders solely to undertaking himself,” he mentioned.
READ |AIADMK Says No Alliance With BJP Now, Will Resolve On Tie-Up Earlier than Polls
The BJP chief had beforehand additionally been crucial of the late former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who stays an iconic, nearly revered, determine inside the AIADMK. On the time, the southern occasion had demanded the state BJP chief be reined in; Mr Annamalai often needles each his occasion’s ally (the one one within the state) and their joint rival, the DMK.
His feedback have led to hypothesis the BJP is attempting to engineer area for itself in Tamil Nadu – a state wherein it has failed, up to now, to make any electoral headway – earlier than subsequent 12 months’s election.
In March, he even spoke out towards allying with the AIADMK, leaving senior leaders fuming.
“Annamalai does not want alliance with AIADMK though BJP staff need it. Ought to we tolerate criticism of our leaders? Why ought to we feature you? BJP cannot set foot right here…” Jayakumar declared.
The BJP has had pleasant ties with the AIADMK however has normally been saved at arm’s size; Jayalalithaa by no means truly fashioned a proper alliance with them when she was in energy as a result of she believed it couldn’t match into the political panorama of the state, which is dominated by Dravidian ideologies.
The AIADMK has misplaced – overwhelmingly – all elections wherein it allied with the BJP, together with the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Meeting polls, prompting it to look on the BJP as a legal responsibility forward of the 2024 election. In 2021 the AIADMK gained simply 75 seats – down from 136 5 years earlier – and was ousted from energy by the DMK-Congress mix. Within the final nationwide election the AIADMK was equally routed – going from 37 seats to only one – whereas the DMK went from 0 to 39.
