CHENNAI: Days after the People’s Welfare Front (PWF) and the DMK extended invitations to the DMDK to be part of their respective alliances to face the ensuing Assembly elections, the BJP on Friday said it was ready to be ‘Flexible’ on alliance issues, apparently in an attempt to rope in the DMDK.
The assertion comes in the backdrop of Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan calling on Vijaykant, a few days ago.
“The BJP as the leader of the NDA, has not decided that it should indispensably have the chief ministerial position with it”, said BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, who is also in charge of party’s affairs in Tamil Nadu, while addressing a press conference here.
Rao’s remarks assumes significance as the DMDK had been keen on insisting that Vijaykant be declared the chief ministerial candidate of any alliance in which his party is a partner.
Asked about other parties wooing the DMDK, Rao said “We are also calling them.”. When a scribe wondered how the DMDK could be invited if it was already a part of the NDA as claimed by the BJP, he hasten to add that “We are calling both the NDA and non-NDA parties.”
Stating that the BJP would not be approaching the alliance issue with a closed mindset, Rao said that his party would be flexible in accommodating more parties into the NDA fold. He reiterated his view that the NDA in Tamil Nadu would soon become stronger with more parties and social, non-political groupings that have so far not adequately figured in politics becoming a part of it. On negotiations between the so-called partners of the NDA, the BJP leader said “They may have gone in for certain positioning for better negotiations. There is scope and my answer is that there is flexibility on our part on alliance issues”, he said.
Responding to a query as to the BJP was trying to rein in caste based social outfits, he said it was part of efforts to broaden its support base. “Your question is answered in the affirmative. We have incorporated non-political groupings as well.”
Earlier in the day, BJP cadre celebrated the birthday of former Prime Minister Vajpayee as ‘Good Governance Day’ in the city.