CHENNAI: BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Thursday visited AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palanswami at his residence in Chennai. According to sources, the meeting lasted for nearly 75 minutes.
An AIADMK source said the BJP leader told Palaniswami not to believe certain speculations doing the rounds following the meeting of state leaders with BJP’s top brass in New Delhi, since the BJP national leadership is clear on what was agreed upon on April 11 when both parties decided to go together for the Assembly election.
The meeting assumes significance as it took place a day after AIADMK’s general council meeting, wherein a resolution categorically empowering Palaniswami to decide on the parties which will join the alliance was passed, a move seen as an impediment for BJP to rope in other groups into the alliance. Besides, the meeting also came two days ahead of his visit to New Delhi to meet the BJP top brass.
The visit also comes in the backdrop of former state BJP president K Annamalai’s meeting with AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran, and O Panneerselvam’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.
When asked about Palaniswami making it clear that the AIADMK will hold discussions with the parties that wish to join the alliance, an AIADMK leader told TNIE that this was agreed upon at the time of forging the alliance itself, “and there is no need for stressing that now”.
When asked about the meeting with EPS, Nagenthran told reporters he lauded Palaniswami for conducting the AIADMK general council meeting in a grand manner.