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BJP trying but AIADMK leaders say not keen to reforge alliance
AIADMK’s deputy general secretary KP Munusamy told reporters in Krishnagiri on Thursday that they will not reconsider their decision
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam solely blaming the Tamil Nadu Bharatia Janata Party’s leadership for leaving the NDA and not being anodyne with the power centre at Delhi has left room for the possibility of a rapprochement.
AIADMK leaders said that there are attempts by the BJP for a reconciliation which they will not consider. The AIADMK exited the alliance on September 25, due to strain in ties between the allies.
AIADMK’s deputy general secretary KP Munusamy told reporters in Krishnagiri on Thursday that they will not reconsider their decision. “We have left the BJP and we will not go back on it under any circumstance,” he said.
Meanwhile, expelled leader O Panneerselvam along with his supporters in Chennai on Thursday held a press conference to say that the BJP’s national leadership has been in touch with them for the past three months. “On the alliance issue, our decision will depend based on BJP’s move in the alliance issue,” said OPS.
Besides their issue with BJP’s Tamil Nadu state president K Annamalai, behind closed doors, AIADMK leaders felt that they were being isolated by the national party’s closeness to other regional allies in the NDA.
“We were leading the NDA in Tamil Nadu but they were trying to isolate us,” an AIADMK leader said, requesting anonymity. BJP’s insistence to accommodate ousted AIADMK leaders TTV Dhinakaran, V K Sasikala and O Panneerselvam also taunted the AIADMK.
“That is the BJP’s plan B to bring these expelled leaders, smaller parties and caste parties together.” A delegation of five AIADMK leaders conveyed their resistance to this idea as well as problems with Annamalai during their meeting with national BJP president JP Nadda in Delhi on September 22. After their last ditch effort with the national leadership did not yield results, EPS led a meeting and called off the alliance, blaming the state BJP unit for insulting them for the past over their ideology and leaders.
“BJP is upset. They did not expect this so they are trying for a rapprochement,” a second AIADMK leader, close to party general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) said, also requesting anonymity. As of Thursday no BJP leader had spoken to EPS but channels of communication are open between the second line leaders of both parties, the leader added. EPS has still not spoken on the split. On September 27 when he was swarmed by reporters at a temple he refused to comment.
A BJP leader agreed that they were keen on getting the expelled leaders and Dhinakaran in particular on board. Annamalai’s on-going state wide padyatra reinforced their belief that Dhinakaran and his aunty Sasikala still hold sway among the Mukkalathor community in southern Tamil Nadu to which OPS also belongs. The votes split by Dhinakaran through the community’s vote bank is the reason they believe for the NDA’s defeat in the 2021 assembly elections. “There is no doubt that EPS is the strongest leader in the AIADMK,” the BJP leader said, also requesting anonymity.
“OPS doesn’t have the backing of his own community. It is Dhinakaran who has their support,” he added.
On rapprochement, state BJP leaders said that the decision lies with their national leaders. After BJP’s national general secretary CT Ravi who was the Tamil Nadu in-charge for elections was removed in July, there has been a lacunae in communication. Ravi led the discussions along with Annamalai when they convinced OPS to back out from contesting the Erode east by-poll in February to let the EPS-led AIADMK field their candidate. “Such an intermediary was necessary,” a second BJP leader said, requesting anonymity given that Annamalai and EPS had a strained relationship.
BJP on Thursday decided to hold a state-level meeting on October 3.
