CHENNAI: The uneasy relationship between the AIADMK and BJP, which had endured for four years due to various political compulsions, came to an end on Monday with the Dravidian major unambiguously calling it quits. The AIADMK also announced that it had exited the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and would form its own alliance to face the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The AIADMK’s decision, just seven months before the parliamentary polls, is seen as a setback for the BJP at the national level as it was one of the few key allies of the saffron party.
“The decision to leave the NDA was taken unanimously and in deference to the views and feelings of more than two crore AIADMK cadre who were outraged by the continued criticisms of the BJP’s state leadership. The AIADMK will face the Lok Sabha elections by forming an alliance with like-minded parties” the party’s deputy general secretary KP Munusamy told reporters after the meeting chaired by general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai.
Munusamy said the resolution adopted by the meeting said that for the past year the BJP’s state leadership, with ulterior motives, has been criticising the AIADMK’s ideals and leaders, including CN Annadurai, and J Jayalalithaa. Besides, the BJP’s state leadership belittled the AIADMK’s historic state-level conference held on August 20 and has been criticising the party’s general secretary.
In Coimbatore, BJP state president K Annamalai said his party’s national leadership would respond to the development. “I will talk about this later,” he said. BJP state general secretary Raama Sreenivasan described the AIADMK’s move as unfortunate. “But the BJP will form its own alliance and face the Lok Sabha elections as we did in 2014,” he added. An AIADMK veteran told TNIE, “The general secretary has made a shrewd move though it is a belated one.”
‘No need of alliance with those with no respect’
“I learned that this decision was taken keeping in mind the long-term welfare of the AIADMK. The state BJP has, to some extent, succeeded in creating a BJP vs DMK narrative in Tamil Nadu, pushing the AIADMK to the background. The BJP has done this as part of its effort to achieve a Tamil Nadu without Dravidian parties. So, AIADMK moving out of the BJP’s ‘clutches’ at this hour is the perfect move,” the leader said.
The party veteran added that if the AIADMK had continued its alliance with the BJP, the BJP would have tried to grow further at the Dravidian major’s cost while trying to weaken it politically as it has done in other states. Besides, the AIADMK has no stakes in the Lok Sabha elections since its main goal is winning the 2026 Assembly elections. Already, the BJP’s state chief has declared that his party would capture power in TN in 2026 and declined to accept Palaniswami as the alliance’s CM candidate. “So, from all angles, the decision to move away from BJP is the correct one,” the leader added.
AIADMK sources said that as all district secretaries and headquarters office-bearers were aware of the agenda for Monday’s meeting, the resolution could be passed unanimously in a very short time. As the meeting stated, Palaniswami sought the views of those present about the agenda. Everyone voiced their views in favour of snapping ties with the BJP.
Former minister SP Velumani criticised the BJP state leadership and said the party did not need to continue an alliance with those who did not know how to respect others. Sources said Palaniswami has asked party functionaries to reach out to the people to explain the party’s decision and to affirm that the party is ready to face any ‘repercussions’ over to the decision to quit the BJP-led alliance. Palaniswami was said to have assured the office bearers that the AIADMK would never align with the BJP in the future.
Unfortunate, we will form own pacts: TN BJP
Senior BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu reacted to the AIADMK’s decision with caution, although certain younger functionaries made sharp comments on social media. BJP state general secretary Raama Sreenivasan told TNIE that though the AIADMK’s decision was unfortunate, the BJP would form its own alliance by joining hands with like-minded parties and face the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as it did in 2014.