CHENNAI: It seems the issues within the AIADMK are unwittingly giving room for the BJP to strengthen its position as a strong opposition party in Tamil Nadu. Faultlines inside the AIADMK have started becoming apparent with party leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami issuing separate statements and their differences over issues like readmitting VK Sasikala into the party and appointing a party presidium chairman.
Even as this tug-of-war is on, the BJP is busy leveraging every opportunity to project itself as a key opposition voice against the DMK government. A few weeks ago, BJP’s State unit president K Annamalai was seen putting up stiff resistance against the State government’s decision to keep temples shut on weekends; the party staged agitations in 12 key temples across the State. Whether in response or not, the State government, within a week, allowed all places of worship to be open on weekends.
Later, Annamalai tweeted a police official’s circular giving an alleged list of bribes being demanded for illegal activities. He tagged the Chief Minister’s Office and demanded a reply. DMK supporters retorted the list was from the previous AIADMK government’s tenure.
Annamalai then took up issues with the TNEB, engaging in a war of words with Minister for Electricity V Senthil Balaji. Annamalai also ran a hashtag ‘ResignEBMin’. He later involved one BGR Energy Systems Limited in his allegations against the minister. On October 26, the company sued Annamalai and another BJP supporter, seeking `500 crore in damages for ‘the defamatory tweets’ made by both.
Addressing media on Tuesday, Annamalai said, “In Tamil Nadu, narrative politics is happening only between the BJP and the DMK. We see that the DMK has been speaking only about the BJP.” Giving a sharp reply to this, AIADMK spokesperson M Babu Murugavel told TNIE national parties have been aligning with Dravidian majors in Tamil Nadu ever since the days of CN Annadurai and MG Ramachandran. “It will continue. National parties will never lead political narrative in Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Talking to TNIE, Kovai Selvaraj, another spokesperson, said leaders of parties would try to project their own parties and, at times, exaggerate certain claims. “Annamalai is doing just that. The AIADMK is a formidable Opposition party with 66 MLAs. Both leaders of the party have been raising public issues every day. The AIADMK is unable to stage demonstrations owing to Covid-19.”