CHENNAI: Senior leaders of the saffron party in Tamil Nadu have reacted cautiously to the development though certain young 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 like it did in 2014.
“Already, many parties came into NDA, and a few left. Now, the AIADMK has left us. We will not lose our morale by this. There is no doubt we will face LS polls by forming our own alliance,” Sreenivasan said.
On AIADMK’s charge on BJP state president K Annamalai for leaving NDA, Sreenivasan said, “The AIADMK has faulted only Annamalai. How can they decide about an alliance just for his remarks?
The AIADMK has committed a historical blunder just for individual contradictions. But we don’t have any anger towards the party. The BJP is firm on its conviction that the DMK is our political enemy and not the AIADMK. To throw away the DMK government disliked by the people, AIADMK would need BJP. Saying they don’t need BJP will indeed help DMK at the hustings.”
Just after the AIADMK’s announcement, BJP functionaries put out harsh responses on social media. However, they deleted the posts after state BJP general secretary (organisation) Kesava Vinayakan instructed the office-bearers not to react to the development. CT Ravi, who was in charge of the BJP affairs in TN until recently, said, “There are eight more months and we can’t say what will happen in these months.”
BJP sources expressed confidence that in the event of forming a separate alliance, parties like DMDK, AMMK, AIADMK faction led by O Panneerselvam, Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi and Thamizhaga Munnetra Kazhagam led by John Pandian might join the alliance. In 2014, the BJP-led NDA formed a separate alliance and won two seats out of the 39.
Annamalai has been expressing confidence that BJP has grown to the level of winning over 25 LS seats in Tamil Nadu since welfare schemes of the centre have reached most of the families in Tamil Nadu. He also said the centre has made huge allocations under various schemes to the state.
Shot in the arm
In a significant development on the day, Veeraperumal Nainar, elder brother of BJP legislature party leader Nainar Nagenthran, and former DMK MP from Tirunelveli Vasanthi Murugesan joined AIADMK in EPS’ presence