AIADMK leader and former state minister S P Velumani
Credit: Facebook/@SP Velumani
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu): AIADMK leader and former state minister S P Velumani on Thursday blamed BJP state chief K Annamalai for the split in AIADMK-BJP ties ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, and claimed that had the poll alliance remained intact, the combine would have won 30-35 seats.
His view, though rejected by Annamalai, was endorsed by former Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan who unsuccessfully contested from Chennai South constituency.
The DMK alliance trounced both the BJP and AIADMK and won all 39 seats.
"What he (Velumani) said is realistic. DMK would not have won all the seats had the BJP been in alliance with the AIADMK," Dr Tamilisai told reporters in Chennai.
"This is poll arithmetic. Alliance is but a political strategy... This (Velumani's view) is realistic and should be accepted," she said responding to a question.
Annamalai, however, questioned Velumani's rationale and wondered how it could be accepted when the AIADMK on its own failed to win a single seat.
Asserting that the AIADMK had honoured alliance dharma, Velumani told reporters here that Annamalai had needlessly criticised AIADMK leaders including C N Annadurai, J Jayalalithaa and even Edappadi K Palaniswami.
"It was Annamalai who spoke too much, not us. He was the reason for withdrawing from the alliance,' Velumani said, adding that he believed, 'If the BJP had been in alliance with us, the combine could have won 30-35 seats." Leaders such as Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and L Murugan never insulted the AIADMK leaders when they headed the saffron party, he said.
At least now, Annamalai should stop criticising the AIADMK and take steps to fulfill the promises he made to the people during the elections, he added.
Also, Velumani said that Annamalai got fewer votes than BJP leader C P Radhakrishnan who had contested in the past.
"We have learnt a lesson. We will strive hard and ensure a victory for the AIADMK in the 2026 assembly election," Velumani said.
Reacting to his comments, Annamalai merely told reporters at the airport here that Velumani got the facts wrong.