CHENNAI: The ruling DMK on Friday took a swipe at AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami for holding seat-sharing talks in Delhi with the BJP, suggesting it was unprecedented for a party leading the NDA in Tamil Nadu.
DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin claimed that the move only proved that the “election is between Tamil Nadu and Delhi”.
In a sarcastic remark, DMK leader and state minister K N Nehru asked the AIADMK to “lock up” its headquarters in Chennai, questioning how a Tamil Nadu-based party leading the coalition could hold seat-sharing talks in the national capital.
Drawing a comparison with investigative agencies issuing summons, Nehru alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had “invited” Palaniswami for the talks.
Stalin questioned the purpose of Palaniswami’s visit to Delhi. “Is it to secure funds being denied to Tamil Nadu? Is it to push for stalled projects? Is it to resolve the shortage of cooking gas cylinders? No, not at all,” he said in a statement.
In a separate statement, Nehru, the DMK’s principal secretary, said that if the AIADMK was indeed leading the NDA in Tamil Nadu, the seat-sharing talks should have taken place at its headquarters in Chennai.
“Instead, Palaniswami is holding discussions at Amit Shah’s residence. Not even once have such talks been held at the office of the party that is supposed to lead the alliance. Nor have they taken place at Palaniswami’s residence in Chennai,” he said.
Nehru also questioned why the meeting could not be held at the AIADMK headquarters in Royapettah, established by the party’s late founder M G Ramachandran.
In a sharp remark, he said, “You may as well lock the party headquarters on Avvai Shanmugham Salai in Royapettah until the elections are over.”
He added that traditionally, under leaders such as Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, the party leading the alliance would allocate seats to partners such as the BJP, PMK and others. “Now, Palaniswami is waiting at another party leader’s residence, asking for more seats for his own party. That shows how things have changed,” he said.
Referring to Palaniswami’s repeated visits to Delhi, Nehru said, “Each time, decisions are made after consulting Amit Shah. Is this the All India Anna DMK or Amit Shah DMK?”
He also criticised leaders such as TTV Dhinakaran and Anbumani Ramadoss for meeting Amit Shah, suggesting a growing dependence on the BJP.
“AIADMK, which should be deciding seat allocation, cannot even determine how many seats it will contest and is waiting at Amit Shah’s doorstep. Even party workers are beginning to wonder where the real power lies,” Nehru remarked.
Stalin alleged that AIADMK leaders required approval from Delhi even to contest elections. He further claimed that they had “mortgaged” their party for personal interests and would not hesitate to “pawn Tamil Nadu to Delhi”.
“The state should not be ruled by such a party. The DMK will never allow the dominance of Delhi,” Stalin said.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran hit back, asking what was wrong with Palaniswami travelling to Delhi for discussions.
He also said Union minister Piyush Goyal was scheduled to visit Tamil Nadu on 21 March and that seat-sharing talks would begin soon thereafter.
“The talks are yet to take place. He (Palaniswami) went to Delhi and returned. Do you know the reason for his visit?” Nagenthran asked.
Criticising Stalin, he said, “He makes comments without knowing the facts. He is unaware even of issues such as the prevalence of ganja culture in Tamil Nadu. Through the media, he is raising such questions.”
Responding to a query on whether the seat-sharing talks of the AIADMK-led NDA would be held at Kamalalayam, the BJP headquarters, or at the AIADMK office in Chennai, he said, “Come tomorrow and see for yourself.”