CHENNAI: Two months after the Assembly elections, the blame game between the AIADMK and BJP over their defeat has begun with former minister CVe Shanmugam triggering a wordy duel between the two parties by saying the alliance with the BJP has cost the AIADMK although people were in a mood to give a third consecutive mandate to the party.
Strongly hitting back at Shanmugam's remarks, BJP’s second rung leaders demanded a clarification from AIADMK top leaders -- Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam. Panneerselvam was quick to say that the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP will continue and there is no second opinion on this. Panneerselvam’s unilateral statement on the continuation of the alliance with the BJP, even as Palaniswami is yet to react, has caused unrest within the AIADMK.
It all began when CVe Shanmugam, while addressing a meeting of party office-bearers at Vanur in Villupuram district on Tuesday, charged that the AIADMK lost power due to its alliance with the BJP.
“The prime reason for AIADMK’s defeat in this election is its alliance with the BJP. We have lost the votes of minority communities totally due to this alliance. The people of the minority communities did not have any grouse against the AIADMK government since it had earned their goodwill through its welfare measures. Indeed, people were ready to re-elect the AIADMK. But the alliance arithmetic failed us. For example, there are around 20,000 voters belonging to minority communities in Villupuram constituency and the DMK candidate won by 14,000 votes,” Shanmugam said.
Condemning the remarks, BJP state general secretary KT Raghavan tweeted that the BJP too felt that its alliance with the AIADMK was the reason for their defeat in the elections.
When contacted, Raghavan told The New Indian Express, “I strongly condemn the remarks of CVe Shanmugam. Top leaders of the AIADMK should clarify this issue. When we reviewed the election results, BJP functionaries complained that the decisions taken by the AIADMK government during the past four years have led to the defeat of BJP candidates in many places. But keeping in mind the alliance dharma, we did not express such views in public.”
Countering Shanmugam’s charge that the AIADMK had lost the votes of the Muslims just because it had an alliance with the BJP, Raghavan said, “The BJP won the Lok Sabha elections by winning 303 seats. In Uttar Pradesh where Muslims got 18 percent vote bank, they voted for the BJP candidates in areas like Meerut. In northeastern states where minority communities have a strong presence, the BJP is ruling. Across the country, minority communities are voting in favour of the BJP. So, Shanmugam’s view are wrong.”
Asked whether this would affect the alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP in the ensuing elections to local bodies, Raghavan said, “Our party will take a decision on whether to have an alliance with the AIADMK for the local body elections only after the elections are notified.”
BJP state treasurer SR Sekar too took exception to Shanmugam’s remarks. “His remarks have deeply hurt the cadre and functionaries of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. Is this the view of Shanmugam or that of the AIADMK? He is a district secretary and former minister. AIADMK leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam have to clarify whether the AIADMK agrees with this view or not. If not, both leaders should take disciplinary action against Shanmugam,” he said.
“If Shanmugam's reasoning is right, how come 66 AIADMK candidates won the elections despite having an alliance with the BJP? Also, in the western region where the BJP has a strong base, the DMK has been wiped out totally. In other words, just because AIADMK had an alliance with the BJP, it has swept the elections in the western region. There are two reasons for this sweep in the western region: firstly, the AIADMK's alliance with the BJP; secondly the individual AIADMK candidate's performance. Shanmugam has lost the elections due to his non-performance,” Sekar added.
"Had Shanmugam felt that the AIADMK's alliance with the BJP was wrong, why did he contest the elections at all on the AIADMK ticket? Also, what does it mean by his statement that he was defeated because the minorities did not support him? Is it not an insult to the 87,000 voters who voted in favour of Shanmugam?" Sekar asked.
Unilateral statement by OPS
Within a couple of hours after Raghavan and Sekar sounded their views, Panneerselvam came out with a quick but categorical statement announcing that the AIADMK’s alliance would continue with the BJP. However, Panneerselvam did not say anything about the remarks of Shanmugam.
Panneerselvam said, “The AIADMK has full faith in BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Considering the interests of the nation and the welfare of Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK-BJP alliance will continue and there is no second opinion on this."
Usually, party statements are issued jointly by OPS and Edappadi K Palaniswami but this time, on a major issue, the former issued a statement on his own.
“BJP leaders are hesitating to say whether the alliance with us will continue or not. Why should we volunteer to assert it at a time of confusion that too in a unilateral statement,” a senior AIADMK leader told The New Indian Express. Till Wednesday night, Edappadi K Palaniswami had not said anything about the development.
AIADMK spokesperson D Jayakumar sought to downplay the remarks of Shanmugam by saying that Raghavan should not have reacted to remarks made in an indoor meeting of the party. This issue is expected to echo in the district secretaries' meeting scheduled for July 9, to be chaired by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam.