BJP functionaries join AIADMK, Annamalai goes on the offensive

Edappadi K Palaniswami welcoming three BJP functionaries who quit the party into the AIADMK has upset the saffron party’s Tamil Nadu unit with its leader K Annamalai going on the offensive against the senior alliance partner over the development.

Annamalai also put up a brave face, saying Dravidian outfits welcoming leaders from BJP is a strong indicator of the party’s growth in Tamil Nadu, while taking a subtle dig at Palaniswami for admitting “junior functionaries” into the AIADMK. He also said his “aggressive politics” will continue and he came to Tamil Nadu with a mission for the BJP.

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C T R Nirmal Kumar, the IT wing chief of BJP, quit on Sunday levelling serious allegations against Annamalai, the former Karnataka-cadre IPS officer, and joined the AIADMK in the presence of Palaniswami. Dilip Kannan, secretary of BJP’s IT wing, and Jothi, secretary of BJP OBC wing, followed suit on Tuesday by presenting a shawl to Palaniswami on Tuesday, a day after they quit the saffron party.

Their welcome to the AIADMK by its top leadership has caused disappointment in the BJP with second-rung leaders saying such a development doesn’t bode well for the alliance. But this is not the first time that alliance dharma was broken in the AIADMK-BJP combine.

It was the BJP which started the trend of admitting leaders from alliance partners into the party – the saffron outfit announced the joining of AIADMK steering committee member, E Manickam, in 2022, and it did welcome several leaders from the senior alliance partner.

However, this is the first time that the AIADMK is openly admitting leaders from BJP into the party. Party leaders said functionaries quitting parties and joining other outfits are a “routine affair” and one should not read “too much” into such developments.

In a strong reaction to the development, Annamalai said decisions made by him in the interest of the party might have forced a few to quit the party. “Are they retiring from politics and taking up agriculture? They have joined another party. I can also start poaching people,” he said.

“Any party will grow only when people leave, and new ones get opportunities. There was a suggestion that BJP will grow only with the help of Dravidian parties. But it is now clear that these parties need people from BJP. This only shows our growth,” Annamalai added.

The development comes amid speculation that the AIADMK was uncomfortable over its alliance with the BJP. Junior leaders of the two parties were also involved in a verbal duel over the BJP asking Palaniswami and expelled leader O Panneerselvam to come together to fight the Erode (east) by-poll.

Political analysts say the AIADMK admitting BJP leaders into the party might not affect the alliance as a whole. “While the second rung leaders continue to fight out, the top AIADMK leadership remains mum on such issues. This means, there are no issues within the alliance,” a political observer told DH on the condition of anonymity.