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The curious case of war of words between allies AIADMK, BJP
The man, who started the recent tussle last Tuesday, is one of AIADMK’s founding members C Ponnaiyan.
The tension between alliance partners the AIADMK and BJP isn’t new, but the latest war of words that lasted more than a week despite both sides calling for a truce has grabbed attention.
The man, who started the recent tussle last Tuesday, is one of AIADMK’s founding members C Ponnaiyan. He told HT that in the previous 2021 assembly elections, they lost the vote bank of the Christians, Muslims and the Scheduled Caste (SC) communities because of their alliance with the BJP which they want to course correct before the 2024 general election.
“In the past, they were in favour of the AIADMK. This has considerably reduced because of our alliance with the BJP which is wedded to Hindutva policy to detriment of the wishes and desires of the minority communities,” Ponnaiyan said.
“Parliamentary elections are to take place soon. So, we have to create an awareness in the minds of the people that the BJP should change its attitude. They must adopt a positive attitude towards the minorities and the SC. They must resort to understanding the feelings of Tamil people. Then only they can emerge as successful in the ensuing parliamentary election against the DMK. That is why it is only an attempt to create awareness which will help the BJP to grow in Tamil Nadu which will help the AIADMK to fight strongly against the DMK.”
Ponnaiyan also added that they were in alliance only for electoral purposes and that the BJP has always been against Tamil sentiments.
Through this episode, the Dravidian party that has been battling criticism that it is an ineffective opposition by their expelled interim general secretary VK Sasikala and BJP leaders has asserted itself for its cadre. The context is the never-before-seen visibility of the BJP in Tamil Nadu thanks to its president K Annamalai who since his elevation last year has called for press conferences almost every other day and has remained in the news cycle for his comments on various issues.
“As far as the BJP is concerned, we are political allies whenever necessary. Need-based political allies.” Ponnaiyan said. “We are having cordial relationships with the all India BJP and the state BJP. That is in regard to electoral understanding.”
He cited the local body elections held in February as an example where the BJP and AIADMK had contested on their own. “That does not mean our friendship is over. Our alliance may reshape positively in the next elections (2024).”
Former chief minister and AIADMK joint coordinator Edappadi Palaniswami, under whom the NDA alliance was stitched ahead of the 2019 general election, told reporters in Salem on Monday that allies were going strong. Though late J Jayalalithaa has been in alliance with the AV Vajpayee government before she abruptly pulled out, after her death, the BJP found a weakened AIADMK to make inroads into the state which has electorally rejected the saffron party.
“Every party will care about their own growth. They will motivate cadre and that’s the only way to make the party grow. That doesn’t mean there is a problem between us and the BJP. We have already said his (Ponnaiyan’s) comments are his own. We put a full stop to this issue,” Palaniswami.
However, a senior AIADMK leader speaking to HT supported Ponnaiyan’s comments. “If the BJP takes one step forward in Tamil Nadu they go three steps behind by saying things like they support NEET,” the leader said. “When entire Tamil Nadu is against NEET, how will they get people’s support?”
This isn’t the first time that the AIADMK is dissociating itself from its leaders who criticise the BJP as it being their personal remarks and not the stance of the party. Fresh off the defeat in 2021 assembly elections, AIADMK’s former law minister and newly elected Rajya Sabha MP, C V Shunmugham, had told a party gathering last year in Villupuram that they lost on minority votes because of the BJP alliance. The next day Shunmugham, carrying a smug look on his face, told reporters that he expressed his personal opinion.
Tamil Nadu BJP vice president Narayanan Thirupathy told HT that they don’t take such individual voices too seriously as ultimately every time Palanisamy and O Panneerselvam have clarified that it is not the stand of the party.
“There is no doubt the BJP is growing in Tamil Nadu where the AIADMK and DMK are the two major parties. So, it can be an irritating factor that a third party is emerging for officer bearers and leaders of the bigger parties. They will feel their bit of salt being taken,” said Thirupathy. “This is true especially after Annamalai took over. Every day he is levelling charges against the DMK. He is very active so youngsters and those who want to have a change are tilting towards him. Cadre from other parties are also joining us. BJP has aligned with TN parties only for a short time in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2019. We have mostly contested alone while even regional parties are under the shadow of the DMK or the AIADMK. This is naturally agitating some people. But our alliance with the AIADMK is intact.”
The issue can be traced back to last Tuesday when Ponnaiyan, at an internal party meeting, said the BJP was trying to grow at the expense of the AIADMK and he urged their IT wing to expose on the social media the BJP’s stance on several issues which were not in Tamil Nadu’s favour. He also said the BJP cannot grow in the state unless it changes its ideology and stands on sensitive issues such as Cauvery and Hindi imposition.
After the video clip from the closed-door meeting was leaked and went viral, a day later, during AIADMK’s press conference party coordinator Panneerselvam dissociated from Ponniayan’s comments. “His remarks should be considered his own,” Panneerselvam said while Palaniswami didn’t comment on the controversy. It raises a question if Palaniswami was in support of Ponnaiyan’s comments as he chose not to react to it.
Instead Palaniswami chose to respond to BJP leader VP Duraisamy’s criticism (which came after Ponnaiyan’s comments) that the AIADMK had failed to take up people’s issues. Duraisamy also said Ponnaiyan was frustrated because he didn’t get a Rajya Sabha seat.
Palaniswami was measured in his response that people knew who the real opposition was. And then came AIADMK’s Sellur Raju into the picture who said, “Crowds at the BJP’s meeting are like a gathering of crows,” and that Annamalai was following the footsteps of his predecessor because he was expecting a high-profile post.
