After firming up an alliance with the BJP for 2024 polls, the AIADMK on Wednesday asserted that it was the “leader” of the coalition in Tamil Nadu, while underlining that the tie-up was purely electoral and that the Dravidian party will not compromise on its core ideologies.
Party General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, who stole the limelight at the NDA meeting on Tuesday after he was allotted a seat next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also dismissed suggestions that the alliance in Tamil Nadu has hit a “rough patch” due to regular heated exchanges between leaders of AIADMK and state BJP chief K Annamalai.
“As far Tamil Nadu is concerned, AIADMK has always been the leader of the alliance and this arrangement continues. At the national level, it is called National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and in our state, we lead the coalition,” Palaniswami told reporters in New Delhi.
He also made light of “differences” between BJP and AIADMK, saying every political party wants to grow and their ultimate aim is to come to power.
“There is nothing wrong in someone (BJP/Annamalai) trying to grow their party. Everyone wants their party to grow. But now that we have firmed up the alliance, we will work together to emerge victorious in Tamil Nadu,” Palaniswami said, responding to questions on Annamalai’s outreach and his repeated statements on BJP’s growth in the state.
At the same time, Palaniswami said, alliances are made only with the goal of winning elections and that AIADMK will compromise on its ideologies for the sake of alliance. “Our ideologies remain the same and it hasn’t changed…our alliance is based on mutual respect unlike the one led by DMK which treats allies as slaves,” he said.
Palaniswami’s statement, his attendance, and prominence at the NDA meeting puts to rest speculation about the future of the AIADMK-BJP alliance in the wake of frequent verbal clashes between leaders of the two parties. The AIADMK even passed a resolution against Annamalai in June for his comments on the conviction of party supremo J Jayalalithaa in a disproportionate assets (DA) case.
The AIADMK leader said the party would soon start negotiations with the BJP on seat-sharing and other alliance-related issues. The alliance is likely to consist of PMK, TMC, and a few parties, while the BJP is pushing for new entrants like T T V Dhinakaran of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), whose entry is being opposed by Palaniswami.
The BJP is also trying to find a way to accommodate former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam in the NDA after not inviting him for the meeting as he lacks a “party structure.”
AIADMK and BJP stitched a rainbow alliance against the formidable DMK-Congress combine in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and fought the 2021 Assembly polls as well together. However, the alliance lost both the elections, but the AIADMK-BJP believes it can buck the trend next year.