CHENNAI: At its first election rally here, ruling AIADMK on Sunday bluntly told ally BJP that it cannot make a dent in Tamil Nadu and ruled out accommodating the saffron party in government if it wins the assembly elections, scheduled for next. year, and retained power.
The BJP has to support the candidacy of Prime Minister K Palaniswami for the post of CM for the polls and agree on his other terms – such as non-participation in the government – and if not, it must rethink its electoral options for 2021, the AIADMK indicated in their meeting.
Noting the death of AIADMK’s top leader, J Jayalalithaa, and DMK’s M Karunanidhi, who opposed her, AIADMK’s senior leader and deputy coordinator KP Munusamy said that in the absence of such leaders, ‘many’ parties were now trying to make a political entry into Tamil Nadu. and succeed.
Some national parties, “opportunists, traitors and a crowd,” blamed the Dravidian groups, claiming that they ruined Tamil Nadu because of their rule of more than 50 years in the state, he said.
Munusamy wondered how charges of inefficiency could be leveled against the AIADMK government when the Center had given so many awards to Tamil Nadu for its stellar performance in many sectors.
In addition, the state as a whole had superior infrastructure and facilities, be it education or health care services, he said.
All those forces seeking political gains should realize that Tamil Nadu would not support them, as Dravidian ideology is the foundation of the state’s social and cultural environment, he said.
The socio-political landscape of Tamil Nadu was nurtured by the Dravidian movement, which was built on the foundation of Tamil culture, language and value, and thus the state was completely different from the rest of the country, Munusamy said.
The distinctive feature and undercurrent of the Dravidian movement has effectively blocked the entry of national parties into the state for more than half a century, he said, adding that only the branches of the movement – AIADMK and DMK – have ruled Tamil Nadu since 1967.
Munusamy made the remarks in the presence of Prime Minister K Palaniswami, Senior Deputy Minister O Panneerselvam and other senior leaders.
In his energetic speech, Munusamy, a high-ranking leader considered close to Panneerselvam, who is also the party coordinator, was clear in his message that the BJP cannot succeed independently in Tamil Nadu and was very dependent on AIADMK.
He hinted that the BJP should accept that AIADMK was the lead partner, endorse Palaniswami’s candidacy, or the Saffron party could reconsider its electoral options for the 2021 elections.
Although Munusamy did not directly mention the BJP by name, it was clear that the message was intended for the national party that led the central government.
“Whether it is a national or state party … the government will be led by the AIADMK. There is no need for a coalition government. If any political party comes forward for an alliance agreement with the idea of a coalition government, please think about it, “he said.
The senior leader exhorted party cadres to work hard to ensure the party emerged victorious at the polls next year.
The provocation for the Dravidian commander to be blunt appeared to be the continued hesitancy, seen by political observers as a strategy, by the BJP state leadership to back Palaniswami as the AIADMK-BJP general alliance’s main ministerial candidate for the 2021 elections. .
In addition to the BJP, there are other components of the AIADMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu, including the PMK.
The TN unit of the saffron party had argued all along that the CM candidate of the NDA in Tamil Nadu would be decided and announced by the national leadership of the BJP.
To make matters worse, BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who was here on Friday, supported the state unity position and declined to say categorically whether his party continued its ties with AIADMK or supported the candidacy. of Palaniswami.
Some posts on social media claimed that the BJP wanted to separate from the AIADMK alliance and form a separate front with Rajinikanth’s proposed party or was simply “positioned” to negotiate a cabinet position if AIADMK retained power.
The Tamil Nadu BJP is generally opposed to Dravidian politics, which, as it has often said, displayed some tendencies of separatism, causing the state to move out of the national mainstream.
Lately, the saffron party had not targeted AIADMK for reasons of Dravidian ideology.
The AIADMK senior leader’s comments that many were seeking a political space in Tamil Nadu are considered to be directed at multiple people.
Main star Rajinikanth, who is scheduled to throw a party next month, Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam and the Tamil nationalist and leader of Nam Tamizhar Katchi (We Tamils Party), Seeman, whose position against the Dravidian and national parties is well known, appeared to be among Munusamy’s targets.
Notably, Prime Minister K Palaniswami, who had always fought for the Center’s agricultural laws – at public events in which he participated – was silent about it today.
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